To be or not to be

A man reads an extra edition of a newspaper reporting about impeached President Park Geun-hye in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 10, 2017. In a historic, unanimous ruling Friday, South Korea’s Constitutional Court formally removed impeached President Park Geun-hye from office over a corruption scandal that has plunged the country into political turmoil and worsened an already-serious national divide. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The legal process against Park Geun-hye is a noteworthy situation in itself. Not that Presidents have not faced such circumstances before that finally led to impeachment. Even so, the fact that such a situation arises leads to a lot of churning in society.

People treasure their democracies and yearn for a system of justice in which their place is secure. When this is threatened, people feel threatened. They question the why of it. After all, with all the power and access to any and everything, why does a President feel the need to be corrupt? What is the justification for it? What of the faith people reposed in him or her? When such questions rise in the mind of the people, there is turmoil.

The weekly street vigils in Seoul have been a sign of that turmoil. Unfortunately, it also becomes the time when the mighty forces maneuver to move facts and overturn the reality. In many cases, they succeed. The President survives and corruption continues to flourish.

It is, therefore, a challenging time for South Korea. Will the judicial system play the role it is meant to play in a democracy? Or have the cards already been dealt in favor of Park Guen-hye?

The people will know soon enough. If the verdict is not one that the people favor, the chances of civil strife looms over South Korea? Whether it will be peaceful or violent, remains to be seen.

We live in times when things are changing rapidly. The people cannot be ignored. All who matter in the impeachment proceedings of Park Guen-hye, would do well to remember the people when passing the final judgment. For South Korea, it is a true test of democracy and it should not fail, particularly as the North watches closely.