Ex-President avoids meeting Samsung heir at hearing

By Lee Kyung-min

Former President Park Geun-hye avoided meeting Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong at a court hearing, Monday, after she failed to appear citing a toe injury.

Lee was scheduled to testify at Park’s bribery trial at the Seoul Central District Court over allegations that he offered money to Park’s longtime friend Choi Soon-sil and her dressage competitor daughter Chung Yoo-ra. In return, Samsung is suspected of having merged its two units _ with the backing of the National Pension Service (NPS), a crucial achievement for him to cement himself as the group’s leader while his bed-ridden father’s health is continuing to deteriorate.

Park’s defense attorney Chae Myeong-seong said she was unable to appear at the trial as she could barely walk due to the injury.

“When I visited her at the correction center Saturday, her injury was quite bad,” Chae said. “She is under treatment but the pain became worse when she put her shoes on, and even without wearing her shoes she has trouble sleeping,” he added.

Another attorney said Park will be able to appear for today’s hearing.

Monday’s trial proceeded without Park, with only Lee and other witnesses attending.

This is the second time Park avoided meeting Lee in the ongoing bribery trial, as she refused to appear at an earlier hearing on July 5 citing health reasons.

On what could have been the first encounter since they had a one-on-one meeting in February 2016, Lee appeared as a witness to testify about bribery allegations.

Lee, as well as former and incumbent Samsung key officials allegedly involved in the bribery scandal, all denied the allegations repeating the same phrase, “I don’t recall,” and “I refuse to answer on the grounds that it might incriminate me.”