'Cheong Wa Dae pressured CJ vice chair to resign'
By Yoon Ja-young
Lee Mi-kyung
Cheong Wa Dae allegedly demanded CJ Vice Chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung to resign, according to local media. It means the top office not only pressured the country’s top conglomerates to donate large sums of money to foundations allegedly controlled by President Park Geun-hye’s long-time confidant Choi Soon-sil, but also interfered in management of private companies.
Cable news network MBN disclosed Thursday a recorded file of a telephone conversation between a CJ Group top executive and a former presidential secretary, which took place around the end of 2013.
Back then, the vice chairwoman was in charge of managing CJ Group following imprisonment of her younger brother, CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion.
In the phone conversation, the presidential secretary, whose name wasn’t revealed, says that no one can imagine the consequences if Lee refuses to resign. He says that it would be better for the chairwoman to quit as early as possible so that the group can avoid investigation. When the CJ executive asks if that is VIP’s idea, the presidential secretary says “Yes.” In central government, VIP refers to President. When the CJ executive says that the vice chairwoman doesn’t want to succumb to political pressure, the presidential secretary continues making pressuring remarks throughout the seven minute phone conversation.
There has been a rumor that the President Park Geun-hye administration has negative feelings about CJ Group.
During the presidential election, CJ was accused by ultra-right wings which said that TV debate and comedy programs by CJ’s cable channels were beautifying the key figure of the opposition bloc. CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun was imprisoned following the launch of the Park administration.
A local business newspaper Money Today, meanwhile, reported that the vice chairwoman Lee got on the wrong side of President Park Geun-hye as she was in the spotlight more than the president while attending Davos Forum held in Switzerland in 2014. At the Korea Night event held on the sidelines of the forum, hosted by CJ Group and attended by world star singer Psy, the chairwoman got much media coverage as a Midas in the culture industry who leads the spread of Hallyu.
Lee, who has been in the control tower of the group following imprisonment of her brother, suddenly went to the United States in the latter half of 2014, citing health problems. She briefly returned to Korea to attend the funeral of her father, late honorary chairman Lee Maeng-hee, but she has mostly been staying in the United States and China since then.
There has been a rumor of political pressure on CJ Group as CJ’s cable channel scrapped the political comedy show following imprisonment of the chairman. It has also been producing films that some liberals see as focused on patriotism or beautifying the era of late former President Park Chung-hee, father of President Park Geun-hye.