ED Park's denial on scandal

President Park Geun-hye has denied all accusations against her in the snowballing corruption and influence-peddling scandal. In her first public appearance Sunday since the National Assembly voted to impeach her on Dec. 9, Park said she has fallen prey to inflated distortions and false reports. The nation’s first female leader denied helping her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil extort money from companies and said she never allowed Choi to interfere with state affairs.

Park rejected the bribery allegation that Samsung Group donated a large sum of money to two nonprofit foundations controlled by Choi in return for her support for the conglomerate’s merger of its two units. “I didn’t have any intention to give favors to anyone,” she said, accusing the independent counsel of framing her. Contrary to her argument, however, a former health minister was arrested Saturday over suspicions he forced the National Pension Service to support the merger.

She also said rumors are rampant, especially on the sinking of the ferry Sewol. “At first, the media accused me of having an affair during the first seven hours of the ferry’s sinking, then of hosting a shamanistic ritual. Now they contend that I underwent cosmetic surgery,’’ Park said. She said she had performed her duties as President while monitoring the tragic accident.

One cannot help but be puzzled about her de facto public defense ahead of the Constitutional Court’s trial which starts this week. Her explanation seems belated, given that it is hardly convincing enough to change public opinion against her whether the allegations are true. She failed to present any hard or circumstantial evidence to support her argument.

What angers the public, in particular, is that Park tried to protect Choi, the very author of the shameful, unprecedented power-abuse scandal. What has been revealed so far, however, raises the possibility that Choi is not merely one of Park’s acquaintances. Already, there is plenty of evidence that Choi has pulled her strings in a wide spectrum of state affairs.

In the end, Park’s fate will be determined by the Constitutional Court and the independent counsel. But she needs to cooperate in uncovering the truth by appearing in court in person and responding to the independent investigation sincerely.