President Park, a liar
By Kang Seung-woo
The prosecution’s interim investigation results, unveiled Sunday, show President Park Geun-hye has consistently lied about the corruption scandal involving her and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.
To cover up the scandal and ease ensuing public outcry, Park stuck to false statements, using every means from daily briefings through her spokesman to a meeting with her senior secretaries and even two nationally televised apologies.
However, she has found herself an accomplice in the country’s biggest political scandal in the end after the prosecution indicted Choi and Park’s two former senior aides Jeong Ho-seong and An Chong-bum on criminal charges including extortion and abuse of official power.
In the wake of the JTBC news report, Oct. 24, that Choi had prior access to presidential speech drafts and edited them, Park issued the first public apology, the next day, apologizing for giving Choi the documents and explaining that she sought Choi’s advice merely on the speeches and public relations issues.
However, the investigation showed that she lied in the national address.
According to the results, she shared a total of 180 presidential documents, including 47 classified ones, such as those concerning the appointment of ministers and vice-ministers.
While delivering the apology, Park also said she had asked for Choi’s opinion in the early years of her presidency and stopped after the presidential office completed relevant systems ― although she did not specify when this came to an end.
Her explanation once again turned out to be false.
“From January 2013 to April 2016, confidential government and presidential documents were delivered to Choi under the President’s directions,” the prosecution said.
Jeong, a former secretary for private presidential affairs, handed over the documents that covered Park’s schedules for her overseas trips and even diplomatic issues to Choi via emails, fax and courier, according to the prosecution.
Park was also found to have lied about the massive funds that were raised for the Mir and K-Sports foundations that Choi controlled.
When Mir and K-Sports were established in October last year and January this year, respectively, they raised a combined 80 billion won ($67.52 million) from the nation’s major conglomerates with the help of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), the country’s biggest business lobby group.
Amid growing speculation that Cheong Wa Dae coerced the companies to chip in for the establishment of the foundations, Park said the firms voluntarily donated the money to the organizations in the Oct. 20 meeting with her senior secretaries.
She once again stressed in the second national address, Nov. 4, that the companies participated in the donation “voluntarily with good intentions”
“Choi and An Chong-bum, Park’s former senior secretary for policy coordination, pressured 53 firms to donate the funds to set up the two foundations, abusing their official authority, and the companies followed the directions for fear of future retaliation against their activities,” the prosecution said.
Park herself even met with Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin in March to ask for an additional donation of 7 billion won for the K-Sports Foundation, according to the prosecution.
Also, the President said she did not know that Choi profited, while having committed unlawful acts, but Park ordered An to help an acquaintance of Choi strike a supply deal with Hyundai Motor Group, it added.