Park had 570 phone talks with Choi Soon-sil
By Kim Rahn
.jpg?w=728)
President Park Geun-hye
President Park Geun-hye offered her first public apology for a brewing scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil in a tearful statement, Oct. 25.
It was one day after cable channel JTBC broke shocking stories about a tablet computer belonging to Choi, which contained state secrets and texts of presidential speeches.
At the time, Park sobbingly said she asked for Choi’s opinions about state affairs during the early days of her presidency, but stopped this after the presidential secretariat was fully staffed.
But this turned out to be a blatant lie. According to the independent counsel team, Park spoke with Choi, who was hiding in Germany, numerous times just before and after the statement. They were using mobile phones registered under the name of a presidential aide, which is illegal.
The counsel team said Wednesday that it confirmed 570 conversations were made using the phones from April 18 to Oct. 26 in 2016.
Choi Soon-sil
Especially after Sept. 3 when Choi left for Germany, 127 calls were made ― about 2.2 calls per day. Choi’s stay there was a de facto attempt to escape from the scandal, after media reports about it began to pour out from September and the prosecution launched an investigation in October. Choi returned to Korea on Oct. 30 saying she would undergo questioning.
The counsel team suspects Yoon Jeon-chu, a former fitness trainer to whom Park gave an official position at Cheong Wa Dae, bought the two phones on the same day. In an earlier surveillance camera recording, Yoon was seen helping Choi prepare Park’s clothes like Choi’s personal assistant.
The team said it had not secured the devices but obtained the phone records.
It is focusing on the conversations at the end of October.
In two more apologies, Park also denied allegations that she knew of Choi’s meddling in state affairs and exerted influence for Choi’s business interests.
But it is alleged Park and Choi discussed how to cope with the situation via the fake-name phones even around the time of Park’s first apology. It is even suspected that Park discussed the apology with Choi as well.
The counsel team said that the day after the first apology, Choi in Germany had a last call with the President. She then allegedly asked her sister, Choi Soon-deuk, to call Yoon the same day. Park’s message that Choi had better return to Korea, was delivered to her via Yoon, Choi Soon-deuk and Choi Soon-deuk’s daughter Jang Si-ho. Choi returned home Oct. 30, was summoned for questioning the next day and was arrested.
Park’s lawyers claim that the phone records do not directly prove Park and Choi talked to each other. But the counsel team said the records show that it needs to search Cheong Wa Dae to secure more evidence, including Park’s phone if possible. The presidential office has been refusing to allow investigators to enter the premises citing security reasons.
Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea spokeswoman Lee Jae-jung said that Korea doesn’t need a President who keeps lying and thinks nothing of the people. “She made the false apology to the people and passed the buck to Choi after consulting with her.”
Minor opposition People’s Party vice spokesman Yang Sun-pil also said it was criminal that a dozen people including Park, Choi and presidential aides used borrowed-name phones.
“It should be clearly found out what they wanted to cover up by using the secret phones hundreds of times,” Yang said. “It seems Cheong Wa Dae is vehemently opposing the search because it fears what the secret phones will be revealed.”