Published : Nov. 1, 2016 - 10:31
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday called for "calm" as a swirling influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye's close confidante continued to grip the country.
Presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk made the appeal when asked about yet another allegation that Choi Soon-sil, at the center of the scandal, had entered and left the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae without going through a security check since Park took office in February 2013. Choi is a private citizen with no security clearance.
"(We) hope everyone will keep calm for the sake of the nation until the truth behind various allegations is verified," Jung told reporters.
Photo taken Oct. 30, 2016 shows presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk speaking during a press conference at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap)
Asked if Cheong Wa Dae can offer investigators the records of Choi's past visits to the presidential office, the spokesman pledged to cooperate with the ongoing investigation as long as the disclosure of the records does not violate any security rules.
A local media outlet on the day reported that Choi had frequently visited Cheong Wa Dae, using a vehicle of the presidential office, which was driven by an official.
Such an allegation has continued to surface for several weeks.
During a parliamentary audit last month, former presidential chief of staff Lee Won-jong said, "I have never seen, heard or known (of Choi's visits to Cheong Wa Dae)."
Last night, Choi was put under emergency detention after being grilled by prosecutors over a host of allegations against her. Choi was summoned a day after she returned home from Europe where she is thought to be hiding for nearly two months.
Choi is suspected of using her decades-long ties to the president to meddle in state affairs, particularly presidential matters such as Park's wardrobe, public speeches and even the selection of presidential secretaries.
The woman, which some critics call the "eminence grise," is also purported to have peddled undue influence in the creation and operation of two nonprofit foundations, dedicated to promoting Korean culture and sports, and may have misappropriated money from the foundations.
The political scandal has also been spreading into the realm of shamanism as Park's political foes and critics highlight her longtime relationship with Choi's family.
Choi is the fifth daughter of Park's late mentor Choi Tae-min.
The late Choi, who used to lead a religious cult, had reportedly advised Park since her mother, Yook Young-soo, was assassinated by a North Korea sympathizer in 1974.
After Choi's death in 1994, his daughter, Soon-sil, is purported to have taken her father's place -- a reason why some observers portray the current relationship between Park and the junior Choi as "shamanistic."
Related to such accusations, the presidential spokesman on Monday denied the allegations and said he was "dumbfounded" that such claims are being made at all. (Yonhap)