By Kim Se-jeong
A lawyer is gathering citizens on behalf of whom he plans to file a compensation suit against President Park Geun-hye for their emotional distress, anger and anguish caused by the influence-peddling scandal involving her aides and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.
On the website of his law firm, Inkang, lawyer Kwak Sang-eon posted, “apart from finding a path to oust the President, we need ways to console fellow Koreans who are affected by the scandal.”
It is very rare for a civil suit to be filed against an incumbent President for mental damage from chaos in state affairs.
“Park justified her crimes which she committed by taking advantage of her position, turning a deaf ear to the people’s voice. She is hurting the people,” he said.
He said, as a lawyer, he thought about doing something, and “this is the only thing I can do. If we win, I will make sure the money is used to uplift the people, and I will donate the fee allocated to me to a public cause.”
He welcomed the public to join a group of plaintiffs and said he will file the suit next week.
The compensation suit represents the anger prevalent among Koreans over the scandal involving Choi, who never held any public title but allegedly abused her ties with the President to collect money and interfere with state affairs.
The anger has strengthened after the President refused to comply with the prosecution’s investigation.
Prominent among those who aggressively oppose the President are university students.
Sookmyung Women’s University students did not attend classes on Friday in protest against Park, with 90 percent of students voting for the collective move. Seoul National University students will also skip classes on Nov. 30 and instead hold a rally and march near the campus. Students asked professors to join them as well.
Such a relay of class refusal is rare, representing the gravity of the scandal felt by students. The last such case took place in 2008 when eight university students skipped classes in condemnation of the government which allowed import of U.S. beef despite public fear of mad cow disease.
According to an alliance of university students, more schools will follow suit. Students at Sogang University, where the President is an alumna, said they will also join the move but haven’t decided when. Korea, Ewha Womans and Chung-Ang universities are planning protests on their campuses in the near future. Many other universities across the country are also planning to join the move.