Park skips SK event

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, center, speaks during his visit to the Sejong Innovation Center set up by SK Group in Sejong, Tuesday. The center will help cultivate agricultural products using SK’s information and communication technology. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

President Park Geun-hye’s absence from the opening ceremony of Korea’s 14th creative economy center raised some eyebrows Tuesday.

SK Telecom opened the Sejong Center for Creative Economy and Innovation, but Park decided to skip the event and instead hosted a luncheon with military leaders at Cheong Wa Dae.

Instead of the President, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn attended the ceremony.

Given that Park attended the launching ceremony of the previous 13 centers, there is growing speculation the president may have decided to avoid it because she did not want to invite unnecessary misunderstanding, with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won still behind bars since January 2013.

Since her inauguration in February 2013, President Park has been critical of issuing special pardons, promising to exercise the right in an extremely restrictive manner.

On the back of her stance on the issue, the chairman has not been granted a special pardon. He was convicted of embezzling 46.5 billion won ($41.5 million) from two SK Group affiliates, including top mobile carrier SK Telecom, and funneling the funds into personal investments in stock futures and options in 2008.

However, Cheong Wa Dae said that Park skipped the event because she already participated in another ceremony to celebrate the launching of the SK-led creative economy center in Daejeon and the start of a “creative village” in Sejong.

“President Park already visited there last year,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said.

“In addition, it is symbolic for the prime minister to attend the launching ceremony.”

Korea has been pushing to set up such centers across the country to match up local startups and venture firms with conglomerates, which can provide resources to smaller companies so that they can turn creative ideas into real businesses.

The presidential office plans to set up a total of 18 creative economy centers in Incheon, Ulsan and Seoul.