韩国总统的职位有一个问题：无论是任期间还是离任后，这个国家的政府首脑似乎都很难避开政治丑闻。
青瓦台莫非是有毒？
作者：Subin Kim
译者：邹世昌&邵海灵
校对：王津雨
编辑：赵萌萌
Park Geun-hye: Poisoned chalice of South Korea's presidency
朴槿惠：韩国总统职位的金杯毒酒
本文选自BBC | 取经号原创翻译
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South Korea has a problem with its presidency. It seems to be almost impossible for the country's heads of state to steer clear of political scandal during or after their tenures.
韩国总统的职位有一个问题：无论是任期间还是离任后，这个国家的政府首脑似乎都很难避开政治丑闻。
Former president Park Geun-hye, the country's 18th - and first female - leader, was jailed after being found guilty of abuse of power and corruption.
前总统朴槿惠，韩国第18任总统和首位女性元首，因腐败和滥用权力罪被判入狱。
She made history as the first South Korean president to be impeached but is far from alone in becoming
mire
d in controversy.
作为首位被弹劾的韩国总统，朴槿惠创造了历史，但
深陷
争议的她并非孤例。
mire
/maɪr/ n. swampy ground or bog; soft deep mud 沼地; 泥潭; 泥浆; 淤泥
The country has only been a stable democracy for a few decades but every leader in the democratic era has been
embroil
ed in a political scandal involving money, directly or through loved ones.
几十年来，该国一直是稳定的民主国家。但在此期间，每一任总统都
卷入
过涉及金钱的政治丑闻，或是直接参与，或是通过挚友亲朋。
embroil
/ɪmˋbrɔɪl/ v. ~ sb/oneself (in sth) get sb/oneself involved (in a quarrel or difficult situation) 使某人[自己]卷入（争吵或困境中）
Her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, was investigated as a presidential candidate over allegations he was involved in stock price manipulation. Those allegations recently resurfaced against him.
她的前任李明博还是总统候选人的时候，就因涉嫌操纵股票价格而受到过调查。这些针对他的指控最近又出现了。
Dismissing the accusations as "political retaliation", he has been refusing to co-operate with the prosecution's investigation. His brother, meanwhile, has served time in prison for accepting cash from businessmen in return for government influence.
李明博拒绝配合检方的调查，称这些指控为“政治报复”。与此同时，他的哥哥因与商人进行权钱交易而被关进了监狱。
Before him, a controversy surrounding the 16th leader, Roh Moo-hyun, ended in tragedy when he took his life in 2009 while under investigation for allegedly receiving millions in bribes.
在他之前，韩国第16任总统卢武铉因涉嫌受贿数百万美元被调查，在此期间，这场关于他的争议在2009年以卢武铉结束自己的生命而悲剧收场。
When he took office in 2003, Mr Roh had been elected on a promise to root out
endemic
political corruption but within a year his own actions were under scrutiny. He was suspended and subjected to an impeachment vote over an alleged breach of election rules.
2003年卢武铉上台，他在当选时承诺根除政治腐败
顽疾
，但在掌权一年之内，他的行为就受到了审查。他因涉嫌违反选举规则而被停职受查，并遭到了对其进行的弹劾投票程序。
endemic
/ɛnˋdɛmɪk/ adj. (disease) that is regularly found in a particular country or area, or among a particular group of people 某国家﹑ 地区或某部分人中常见的（疾病）; 地方性的（病）
He was later reinstated, but allegations against him emerged again. His relatives, including his wife, admitted receiving payments before his death.
后来他恢复原职，但针对他的指控再次出现。他的亲戚，包括妻子在内，也承认他们曾在他去世之前收受好处。
Why so much corruption in South Korean politics?
为何韩国政坛的腐败问题如此之多？
Many believe the tradition of the South Korean government taking a strong role in leading the economy is one of the major contributing factors.
许多人认为，韩国政府在经济方面一直发挥着强有力的领头作用，这种传统是腐败问题屡禁不止的主要因素之一。
South Korea's modernisation was only kick-started in the 1960s and 1970s with dictator Park Chung-hee directing the heads of family-run conglomerates known as chaebols to establish industries.
直到二十世纪六七十年代，独裁者朴正熙带领家族企业集团（也就是所谓“财团”）的首领建立了工业体系，韩国才步入现代化的进程。
This relationship meant that opportunities for corruption became obvious, according to Professor Robert Kelly, an expert on inter-Korean affairs.
韩国事务专家罗伯特·凯里教授指出，这种关系意味着腐败的机会变得显而易见。
"Until the state steps back from the economy, such scandals will continue." he told the BBC.
他告诉BBC：“这种丑闻还会继续，直到国家放开对经济的掌控。”
Corruption in the family
家族内部的腐败
It is not always the leaders' actions themselves that bring their names into disrepute.
声名狼藉并非总是领导人的自身行为导致的。
The country's 15th leader, Kim Dae-jung, an icon of South Korea's democracy movement and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, saw all three of his sons becoming caught up in political corruption.
韩国第十五任领导人金大中，身为该国民主运动的标杆人物和诺贝尔和平奖的获得者，自己的三个儿子却都因政治腐败而入狱。
The son of the 14th president, Kim Young-sam, also received a sentence for being involved in a loan scandal during his father's presidency.
第十四届总统金泳三在任期间，其儿子也因卷入贷款丑闻而获刑。
He himself was interrogated by prosecution officials during his presidency, alongside other members of the government, after they were accused of neglecting their duties during a drastic economic crisis.
他自己则在任期内和其他政府官员一起被控在一次灾难性的经济危机中玩忽职守，因而受到了检方的质询。
Cultural legacies
文化遗留的问题
Professor Kyung Moon Hwang of the University of Southern California points to cultural norms around the idea of social reciprocity causing problems, too.
南加州大学教授Kyung Moon Hwang指出，韩国社会那种礼尚往来、互惠互利的文化准则，也造成了一定问题。
"[Reciprocity] in general is a good thing, but in the political arena, this can lead to officials expecting something in return for their decisions," he told the BBC.
“礼尚往来总体来说是件好事，但在政坛上就可能导致官员总指望自己的决策能换来好处。”他对BBC记者如是说。
