By Rachel Lee
Some gifts and cards foreign envoys in Seoul had given to President Park Geun-hye were found in the house of her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, according to the independent counsel team, Friday.
The discovered gifts ― supposed to be kept inside Cheong Wa Dae ― show how special the relationship between the two was, the team said.
They discovered the items during a recent search of Choi's home and offices. They did not elaborate on the kinds of gifts or who sent them to the impeached President.
"We will look into how the gifts were kept in Choi's home, not at Cheong Wa Dae," an investigator said on condition of anonymity. "As it is not normal to keep presents at a friend's home, this case indicates how unusual the Park-Choi relationship was."
It could also be an act of diplomatic impudence if it is true that Park has kept gifts from ambassadors at Choi's home.
Foreign diplomats in Seoul were cautious about commenting on the news, but showed embarrassment.
"I hope the gift I gave to the President was not among those found at Choi's home," an ambassador said.
Some envoys made it clear that there was nothing "wrong" with the President giving gifts to her close friends or acquaintances.
"It is only common courtesy and diplomatic procedure to exchange gifts with each other so the problem is not about President Park's gifts being at Choi's house. It depends on the actual value of the gift and the purpose of it," a diplomat in Seoul told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity, Thursday.
Another envoy shared the same view ― the price of the presents and the occasion on which the gifts were given matter.
"Every country has its own rules to accept gifts to a certain value. So at the end of the day, money matters. If the presents were pricier than the limit, it tells there is definitely something wrong," he added.
Some ambassadors declined to comment on the issue, giving reasons that what they gave to the President was no more than greeting cards sent out for occasions including the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays.
"Contents of greeting cards and messages are often made public even by the sender," a top envoy said.
Some refused to comment since they were not sure their gift for the President was one of those found at Choi's place.
Choi, who has been in custody since October, is accused of abusing her close ties with the President by interfering in security and economic policies ― from speechwriting to nominating officials ― despite holding no official position or security clearance.
At the National Assembly special committee's questioning, Monday, Choi denied allegations, including links to other key suspects in the corruption scandal ― Kim Ki-choon, Woo Byung-woo and An Chong-bum ― who are suspected of being involved in Choi's meddling in state affairs to make illicit gains.
Regarding a tablet PC that contained evidence of the allegations, Choi said she first learned about the device in 2012, and does not know how to use such a computer. The President is also suspected of conspiring with Choi, which led to massive candlelight demonstrations nationwide that played a large role in prompting the National Assembly to impeach the President on Dec. 9.
Some gifts and cards foreign envoys in Seoul had given to President Park Geun-hye were found in the house of her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, according to the independent counsel team, Friday.
The discovered gifts ― supposed to be kept inside Cheong Wa Dae ― show how special the relationship between the two was, the team said.
They discovered the items during a recent search of Choi's home and offices. They did not elaborate on the kinds of gifts or who sent them to the impeached President.
"We will look into how the gifts were kept in Choi's home, not at Cheong Wa Dae," an investigator said on condition of anonymity. "As it is not normal to keep presents at a friend's home, this case indicates how unusual the Park-Choi relationship was."
It could also be an act of diplomatic impudence if it is true that Park has kept gifts from ambassadors at Choi's home.
Foreign diplomats in Seoul were cautious about commenting on the news, but showed embarrassment.
"I hope the gift I gave to the President was not among those found at Choi's home," an ambassador said.
Some envoys made it clear that there was nothing "wrong" with the President giving gifts to her close friends or acquaintances.
"It is only common courtesy and diplomatic procedure to exchange gifts with each other so the problem is not about President Park's gifts being at Choi's house. It depends on the actual value of the gift and the purpose of it," a diplomat in Seoul told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity, Thursday.
Another envoy shared the same view ― the price of the presents and the occasion on which the gifts were given matter.
"Every country has its own rules to accept gifts to a certain value. So at the end of the day, money matters. If the presents were pricier than the limit, it tells there is definitely something wrong," he added.
Some ambassadors declined to comment on the issue, giving reasons that what they gave to the President was no more than greeting cards sent out for occasions including the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays.
"Contents of greeting cards and messages are often made public even by the sender," a top envoy said.
Some refused to comment since they were not sure their gift for the President was one of those found at Choi's place.
Choi, who has been in custody since October, is accused of abusing her close ties with the President by interfering in security and economic policies ― from speechwriting to nominating officials ― despite holding no official position or security clearance.
At the National Assembly special committee's questioning, Monday, Choi denied allegations, including links to other key suspects in the corruption scandal ― Kim Ki-choon, Woo Byung-woo and An Chong-bum ― who are suspected of being involved in Choi's meddling in state affairs to make illicit gains.
Regarding a tablet PC that contained evidence of the allegations, Choi said she first learned about the device in 2012, and does not know how to use such a computer. The President is also suspected of conspiring with Choi, which led to massive candlelight demonstrations nationwide that played a large role in prompting the National Assembly to impeach the President on Dec. 9.
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