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| Bereaved family members of the Sewol ferry disaster victims and members of civic groups demand President Park Geun-hye reveal the truth about the sinking, including where she was during the first seven hours after the accident, as well as for her to take responsibility for the scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil, during a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap |
By Kim Bo-eun
The unraveling influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye's confidant Choi Soon-sil is again raising questions about the President's "seven missing hours" in the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, 2014.
Suspicions and rumors link Choi with the unknown whereabouts of Park, with some even saying the accident was related to a sacrificial ritual.
The President was absent during the crucial first seven hours of the ferry's sinking, which killed more than 300 passengers on board, mostly high school students on a school excursion.
Cheong Wa Dae has never given a clear explanation about what the President was doing during those hours, just repeating she was in her office working. This prompted public outrage and demands for the truth behind the accident.
At the time of the Sewol disaster, there were rumors that the President had been with her former aide Chung Yoon-hoi, who is Choi's former husband. Choi was barely known to the public at that time.
Tatsuya Kato, former Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun, wrote a column based on the rumor, alleging the two were in a romantic relationship. He was indicted on defamation charges and later acquitted.
With the Choi scandal emerging, new rumors are spreading now that Park was with Chung, but for a different purpose related to Choi's father.
Choi is the daughter of the President's late mentor Choi Tae-min, who is believed to be founder of a fringe religious group called Yongsaenggyo, or the Church of Eternal Life.
!['Truth does not sink' [VIDEO]](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/sewol370.jpg/dims/resize/112/optimize)
The elder Choi approached Park after her mother Yuk Young-soo was assassinated in 1974, while her father Park Chung Hee served as President.
He is rumored to have told Park that he had been ordered by the spirit of her mother to protect and guide her. There is speculation that Park had been under his control as a follower of Yongsaenggyo.
The rumors now say the ferry accident was a part of a cult ritual and the victims were "offerings."
Moon Yong-sik, a former member of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, posted the rumors on social media last week.
"Choi Tae-min died in 1994 on the 21st day of the third month of the lunar calendar. The 20th anniversary of his death was April 14, 2014, according to the solar calendar. Family members had to perform a rite marking the 20th anniversary of Choi's death, but Sunday was not appropriate, so the rite was performed on April 16," he posted.
"Chung Yoon-hoi at the time was meeting with a shaman near Cheong Wa Dae. It could be possible that Park, Choi and Chung were performing a rite at the same time and place _ which is simply appalling."
The bereaved family members of the Sewol disaster victims and civic group members held a press conference, Tuesday, demanding the President step down as she is seen as responsible for the government's belated response during the crucial hours of the accident. They also urged the government to unveil the truth over her whereabouts during the first seven hours of the accident and what caused it.
"Suspicions over the President's seven missing hours are snowballing," a bereaved family member said at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul.
"The administration must swiftly enable on independent counsel investigation into the disaster and hold the President responsible for the tragic consequences of her absence at that time."
