By Kim Bo-eun
The independent counsel team which investigated the influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil said Monday it was unable to confirm Park’s whereabouts on the day of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, 2014.
There had been speculations that the President received a cosmetic procedure on the day, as she stayed at her residential quarters and only received reports on the ferry’s sinking via phone calls and documents. Several news outlets provided comparisons of photos of the President before and after the day of the disaster, claiming they showed she received cosmetic botox shots.
However, independent counsel Park Young-soo said “the team was unable to confirm that the President received a (cosmetic) procedure on that day.”
The doctors who usually performed procedures on the president were confirmed to have been elsewhere, and not at Cheong Wa Dae.
The President’s hairdresser said she had previously been notified not to come to Cheong Wa Dae on April 16, 2014, although she usually had her hair done at 8 a.m. daily on weekdays. Exceptional cases were when the President had medical procedures performed the day before.
In addition, the president’s hairdressing, which usually takes 40 minutes, was done in 20 to 25 minutes that day ― according to testimony by the hairdresser. Earlier, the media reported that the President spent excessive time in getting her hair done before arriving at the central disaster control tower in the evening.
Park added the probe into the President’s whereabouts on the day was limited as the team was unable to search Cheong Wa Dae and question the President in person during its 90-day investigation, due to Cheong Wa Dae’s refusal.
Meanwhile, the team confirmed Park received medical treatment from Choi’s doctors without due procedure ― despite having her own official medical team ― providing the doctors with various benefits such as overseas expansion of business and appointment to certain positions.
The main beneficiaries are Kim Young-jae, head of cosmetic surgery clinic frequented by Choi, Kim’s wife Park Chae-yoon, head of a medical appliance company and Kim Sang-man, a doctor at luxury anti-aging clinic Chaum.
Kim Young-jae was confirmed to have provided Park with botox shots on five occasions from May 2014 to July 2016.
Medical advisors and nurses and even unlicensed medical practitioners entered the quarters without the knowledge of the president’s doctor and medical office and provided treatments.
According to the team’s investigation records, Kim and Park bribed former presidential aide An Chong-bum and another official for overseas expansion of Kim’s cosmetic surgery clinic in the Middle East.
Kim and Park were taken on a trip to the United Arab Eminrates in August 2014 and received assistance in preparing to expand their business. They also accompanied the President on her trip to Saudi Arabia in February 2015 as a member of her medical delegation team. Cheong Wa Dae organized a meeting with a local hospital for Park’s medical appliance company. The company also received R&D funds from the government.
In addition, Kim was appointed by Seoul National University Hospital as a doctor for outpatient care.
The presidential office also assisted the sales and promotion of a cosmetics brand run by Kim’s brother-in-law, which made it into duty-free shops.
Meanwhile, presidential aide Lee Young-seon allowed the unlicensed medical practitioners to enter the President’s residential quarters and obtained 52 mobile phones under borrowed names for Park, three of her close aides and Choi.
The investigation also outlined favors granted by schools to Choi’s daughter Chung Yoo-ra in admissions and grading, due to pressure from Choi.
The schools are Sunhwa Arts Middle School, Chungdam High School and Ewha Womans University.
Former Ewha president Choi Kyung-hee and four professors have been detained for obstructing a fair process of admissions, by allowing the gold medal Chung acquired in the Asian Games after the credential screening process was over, to be reflected in her evaluation. The professors also provided Chung with grades despite her absence from classes.