Blogger Minerva loses 30kg

By Kim Tae-gyu

Staff reporter

If people encounter online guru Park Dae-sung, better known by his penname "Minerva," on the street, chances are that they will not recognize him.

Not that Park, who beat the government in economic forecasts at the height of a financial crisis, has undergone plastic surgery. Rather, he has shed about 30 kilograms in the past couple of months and looks sharper than when he was the center of media attention.

Park weighed approximately 90 kilograms early this year but is now just above 60 kilograms. Severe stress regarding legal procedures seems to be one of the major reasons. Park basked in the limelight in 2008 after he correctly predicted the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the sharp depreciation of the Korean won. But he was arrested in early 2009 on charges of spreading false rumors.

He appeared to be getting back on track after being acquitted but suffered another round of stressful episodes after prosecutors filed an appeal and an associated case is pending in the Constitutional Court.

Park's lawyer filed a complaint that the prosecution cited an unconstitutional clause to bring Park to court. Discussions wrapped up last December, but the Constitutional Court has yet to come up with its verdict.

This means that in the worst-case scenario, Park may have to wait a few more years to escape the prosecution and his wish to study overseas may also have to be postponed.

When contacted, Park admitted he had recently lost weight but refused to elaborate on personal issues. Yet, a source close to him confirmed that the long-standing legal risks have taken their toll on him.

"Park was just an ordinary guy but he became a national issue overnight in a very negative fashion when he was arrested. This seemingly stressed him out," said the source who frequently meets with Park.

"After being acquitted, he hoped that everything would be laid to rest. But in fact, what was waiting for him was another round of legal actions, which are not likely to conclude in the near future."

During the waning days of 2008, Park posted write-ups that the government forced local banks to stop buying dollars in order to prevent a steep depreciation of the Korean currency.

Some bureaucrats contended that Park's remarks prompted a dollar-buying spree, which they argued caused multi-billion dollar losses to the country. Around a week later, he was apprehended.