Park’s transition to power has been rocky, reflecting deep rifts in South Korea that many trace back to her father’s dictatorship.

She began her first day as president with lawmakers deadlocked over her government restructuring plans, which include newly created or revamped ministries. Some of the people she has nominated for ministry posts have been accused of tax evasion, real estate speculation and ethical lapses.

Many of Park’s nominations for top posts came as surprises, and she was criticized for relying only on a handful of close associates, and for being secretive.

Much has also been made of Park’s role as a trailblazer for women in South Korea, which is still a largely male-dominated society. The income gap between men and women is the widest among the world’s most developed countries. But Park gave only two of 18 Cabinet posts to women. Late liberal former President Roh Moo-hyun, Lee’s predecessor, named four women to his Cabinet when he took over in 2003.

Park also has handed top jobs to people with ties with her late father, reviving claims in the campaign that she doesn’t fully understand her father’s complicated legacy. Park Chung-hee is both reviled as a dictator and human-rights abuser, and revered for leading South Korea from the economic rubble of the Korean War.

Critics have said Park Geun-hye’s North Korea policy lacks specifics. They also question how far she can go given her conservative base’s strong anti-Pyongyang sentiments.

But Park has previously confounded ideological expectations. She travelled to Pyongyang in 2002 and held private talks with the late Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un’s father and predecessor. During the often contentious presidential campaign, she responded to liberal criticism by reaching out to the families of victims of her father’s dictatorship.