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| Korea Coast Guard (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Steven Denney
The recent incident with Chinese fishermen has nullified President Park’s pledge to abolish the ROK Coast Guard.
Following the sinking of the Sewol ferry earlier this year, South Korean President Park Geun-hye vowed to disband the country’s coast guard for its mishandling of rescue operations.
The announcement came during a nationally televised speech, during which President Park apologized to the nation for her failure to manage the crisis adequately. Progressives were skeptical of her intentions. Reporters for the Hankyoreh equated her declaration to disband the coast guard with “shock therapy,” noting that the president hadn’t consulted anyone outside the Blue House as to how or why she came to the this decision.
But reporters for the Hankyoreh, or anyone else for that matter, shouldn’t dwell on the announcement. Park likely never intended to disband the coast guard. It simply isn’t that easy to get rid of a major state institution. Nor is it a good idea, as the latest confrontation with Chinese fishermen in the Yellow Sea indicates.
Read the full story at The Diplomat