South Korean President Park Geun-hye scrambled to head off a mounting political scandal by replacing her prime minister and finance chief Wednesday, raising concerns over the future of a key trilateral summit slated for later this year.

Park's administration has been rocked by the scandal involving a confidante accused of meddling in state affairs, and the high-level reshuffle, which also saw her replace her public safety minister, was the latest attempt to quell surging public anger with the presidential Blue House.

The turmoil has reportedly left the Japanese government concerned that a trilateral summit this year that also includes China may be derailed by the growing crisis.