South Korea's defense minister called for military readiness
Friday as he admitted the country is facing a "very difficult situation”.
Thousands
of protesters are set to rally in Seoul on Saturday after President Park
Geun-hye recently admitted to seeking advice from an unofficial aide -- raising
concerns that a private civilian with close connections to the Park family may
have wielded undue influence and had access to confidential state affairs.
The
weekend's planned demonstration represents an extension of last November's
anti-government gathering which led to the death of a protester who was struck
by a police-fired water cannon.
With
Park's Realmeter approval rating falling below 20 percent for the first time
this week, a member of her staff was quoted by local news agency Yonhap
insisting that the president "is pondering in multiple directions over how
to address public anxieties and how to unwaveringly run the country".
Morale
in the military has also reportedly been hit by the scandal, and Defense
Minister Han Min-koo insisted that they must be ready to deal with the
persistent threat of North Korean provocations.
"We
should remain firm and highly vigilant against any sort of military threat from
the North despite a 'very difficult situation' in the country," Han said
in comments released from a teleconference with South Korean military
commanders.
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