Woo displays arrogant attitude again at Assembly hearing

By Kim Rahn

Woo Byung-woo

“I don’t know,” “I won’t answer the question,” “How should I know that?” “That is not true.”

These remarks came from Woo Byung-woo ― the former presidential secretary who is believed to be a key witness in the influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil ― during Thursday’s National Assembly hearing into the issue.

The former prosecutor had been criticized for his arrogant and rude attitude in earlier questioning by the prosecution. This time, he displayed his stiff-necked stance again, often infuriating lawmakers.

During the hearing, he denied all allegations, from beginning to end, giving short answers, with some lawmakers eventually sighing with resignation.

Woo was rather high-handed with them as well. He often did not look at the questioning lawmakers but stared into the air, sighing, as if he thought the lawmakers were pathetic. Rep. Kim Sung-tae of the Saenuri Party, the chairman of the special parliamentary committee holding the hearing, pointed to his attitude several times.

As Kim said Woo was not sitting straight and told him to straighten himself, Woo asked, “How do you want me to sit?”

After the prosecution’s questioning in early November, Woo disappeared for 46 days, refusing to attend an earlier hearing. As his hiding out continued, some politicians and online celebrities collected 13 million won as a bounty to catch him.

When asked what he thought of the bounty, Woo said, “I didn’t care.” When asked where he had been staying, he said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

At the November questioning by the prosecution, Woo scowled at a female journalist who asked about his personal corruption allegations. Regarding why he scowled at her, Woo said, “She suddenly approached me and asked a question out loud. Surprised, I looked at her. I didn’t scowl.”

An earlier photo showed that during the prosecutors’ questioning, Woo was standing and smiling with his arms crossed, in a parka, while investigators maintained a polite posture. This photo raised criticism that Woo is still holding power in the judiciary, and because of this, the prosecution will not investigate the former prosecutor thoroughly.

Woo said, “I was interrogated for 15 hours on that day, sitting the whole time. So I was standing up during a break. And I didn’t feel well, having a fever, so I was wearing the parka and folded my arms.”