South Korea's rising butt of mockery: President
A parody of drama “Secret Garden’s” poster featuring President Park Geun-hye and her scandal-ridden confidant Choi Soon-sil, instead of main characters Kim Ju-won and Gil Ra-im. / Captured from social media
By Park Si-soo, Hong Dam-young
President Park Geun-hye has seen her political leadership devastated by the Choi Soon-sil scandal. And with layers of the scandal peeling off one after another, she is facing more humiliating fallout: becoming an increasingly popular butt of mockery.
Social media is bombarded with parody images and video clips inspired by alleged misdeeds of the embattled head of state and her arrested shadowy confidant Choi.
Some are dangerously explicit -- which never fall short of those targeting villains in shockingly disturbing crimes -- reflecting people’s boiling indignation at the President and other suspects.
The trend gained huge impetus after cable TV network JTBC reported on Tuesday that Park was a VIP customer at an ultra-luxury “Chaum” medical clinic in Seoul. She reportedly visited the clinic undercover between January and July 2011, when Park was a lawmaker, using the secret ID “Gil Ra-im,” during which she allegedly received free health and beauty treatments worth tens of millions of won. Allegations have it that Choi was another VIP customer of the hospital and she pressed the government to offer the hospital business favors in return for Park’s treatment.
The top-left photo shows President Park Geun-hye wearing the costume of Gil Ra-im, female protagonist of SBS TV drama “Secret Garden,” with a subtitle that reads “I didn’t shoot the drama for this. I feel ashamed,” a parody of comments Park made during her second apologetic speech on Nov. 4: “I didn’t become a president for this [scandal]. I feel ashamed.” The top-right photo shows Gil Ra-im with a subtitle: “I didn’t become ‘Gil Ra-im’ for this. I feel ashamed.” The bottom-right photo shows Park in Gil Ra-im’s yellow shirt. / Captured from social media
“She (Park) asked not to put her real name on the list of patients,” a Chaum official was quoted as saying in the report. “She used ‘Gil Ra-im’ instead.”
Gil Ra-im was the name of the female lead in SBS TV’s hit drama “Secret Garden” in 2011. People were dumbfounded by the report and it has instantly made social media a sea of Gil Ra-im-themed parodies that ridicule Park.
“Maybe Park has exchanged her soul with her beloved Choi,” a netizen said, referring to the fantasy drama’s plot in which Gil Ra-im and Kim Ju-won (the male protagonist) find their souls exchanged by accident.
“Park must have been a big fan of the drama,” another netizen wrote in a tone full of ridicule.
The Instagram account of actress Ha Ji-won, who played Gil Ra-im in the drama, was bombarded with comments consoling her for her unintended involvement in the controversy.
“You must be really baffled by the situation,” a netizen wrote on her account.
A news-format parody shows Park watching SBS drama “Secret Garden” that features female character “Gil Ra-im,” the name Park used when visiting luxury anti-age clinic Chaum. The title of the parody reads “Breaking news: Park spent her years watching the drama after severing her ties with families.” /Captured from social media
Following the report, the clinic admitted that the controversial ID was Park’s, but it said she stopped visiting after being elected President.
“It would be difficult to hide Park’s visit because people would easily recognize the heavy security,” a Chaum official said.
But the clinic’s response did not fully answer suspicions about the hospital. According to medical records JTBC obtained, an unidentified patient using the name “Cheong Wa Dae” was treated there until recently.
Meanwhile, suspicions are rising over why Park chose “Gil Ra-im” as her codename. A screenshot from the drama, in which the dragon tattoo on Gil Ra-im’s shoulder is almost identical to the logo of scandal-plagued Mir foundation, has gone viral.