The office of President Park Geun-hye of South Korea blocked investigators from searching its compound Friday, creating a standoff between Ms. Park, who argues that she is the victim of a political witch hunt, and a special prosecutor who has accused her of bribery.
Absolute power leads to absolute corruption. Like all democracies, Korea’s presidential system has a number of fatal flaws, and even the US sometimes has problems with its version of democracy. The South Korean constitution should be reformed to put a modified semi-presidential system in place, and an announcement at the next presidential inauguration should proclaim that the president is above party politics. The heads of the judicial and procuratorial branches should be elected in alternating years and 1/4 of all MPs should face election each year. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.
