Park Says South Korea Won’t Back Off as Crisis Hits Markets
Koreans Talk as Kim Ups the Ante
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South Korean President Park Geun Hye’s crisis-management skills are being tested as she faces a military standoff with North Korea that risks exacerbating turmoil in the country’s financial markets.
Park is trying to prevent tensions with Kim Jong Un’s government from erupting into open conflict while shoring up the economy from a market selloff that sent the Korean won to a four-year low and drained more than $900 million from Korean equities in a week. So far, Park has chosen to present an image of strength, pledging not to cease cross-border propaganda broadcasts until North Korea apologizes for placing land mines that maimed two South Korean soldiers on Aug. 4.