One of the most common criticisms directed at President Park Geun-hye is that she is a bad communicator ― not in the sense that she is a bad speaker, but in the sense that she is not a good listener and tends to avoid open exchanges of ideas and discussions even with senior administration officials.

It is often pointed out that Park prefers reading reports and that it is not easy for Cabinet ministers or senior Blue House aides to meet her in person even though they have something to report or discuss.

Such a guarded operation of the Blue House and the administration as a whole often gave rise to speculations that she relies on advice from members of her small inner circle and consultations from people outside the government. These speculations were augmented by the recent Blue House scandal surrounding document leaks and allegations of influence-peddling by people close to her.

A bigger cause for concern is that Park lacks the will to communicate with the people. So much so that her harshest critics say that she lives in seclusion in the presidential mansion.

Granted, unlike leaders in countries like the U.S., Korean presidents tend to refrain from holding open direct talks with the public ― or at least through the media, but Park is one of the worst communicators among Korean presidents in this regard.

Since she took office nearly two years ago, Park has held a full-fledged news conference ― meaning a question-and-answer session with reporters that was broadcast live on television ― only once ― the New Year’s press conference last January.

She often uses Cabinet sessions or meetings of senior Blue House aides to speak her mind, instead of delivering public addresses or making comments directly to the media.

Park opted for the one-way communication of reading a national address even as shock and agony swept the nation over the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry last April.

Given this background, Park made the right decision to hold a live New Year’s news conference Monday.

As her aides said, the chief executive has a lot of important agendas to talk about as she enters the third year of her five-year tenure ― from the economy and North Korea to reform of pension plans for government workers and the restructuring of the public, labor, education and financial sectors.

What Park ought to keep in mind, however, is that the success or failure of the forthcoming news conference will not be determined by what she will say about those issues but by how she deals with the recent Blue House scandal.

We say this because despite the prosecution’s probe, the numerous allegations involving her brother, her three closest Blue House assistants and a former aide have yet to be clarified.

Park, in a frank and candid manner, should address the issue, make apologies ― if necessary ― and vow to forbid people close to her from pulling strings behind the scenes. If not, Park will ruin the rare opportunity for her to communicate with the people, thus losing precious momentum to revive her approval ratings and revitalize her presidency for the remainder of her term.