Former President Park Geun-hye enquired about SK Group’s donations to the Mir and K-Sports foundations, entities allegedly used by Park as a cover for illicit deals with big conglomerates, in a private meeting last year, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won revealed Thursday.
Speaking as a witness at the trial of Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil, Chey said that he brought up the issue of his brother SK Group Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won’s release from prison at the meeting on Feb. 16 last year. Chey Tae-won said that he did not bring up the matter again when Park did not show any visible reaction to the issue.
This combined photo shows former President Park Geun-hye (left) and SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won. (Yonhap)
Chey Tae-won was pardoned and released from prison in 2015 while serving on charges including embezzlement. The younger Chey Jae-won was serving a prison term for similar charges at that time. He was paroled last year but was excluded from the presidential pardon issued in August 2016.
According to Chey Tae-won, Park asked former Presidential Secretary Ahn Chong-bum how much SK Group donated to the two foundations. Ahn was not initially present at the meeting, but Park called him in when he brought up issues related to the Park administration’s regulation reform.
Chey said that when Ahn confirmed that the group donated 11.1 billion won ($9.7 million), Park thanked him and asked him to show “interest and cooperation” in the future.
The two foundations are said to have been operated by Choi, who is on trial for her alleged part in the corruption scandal. Choi is accused of using her ties with Park to influence state affairs and pressure corporations into donating large sums to her foundations.
Prosecutors claim the donations to the Mir and K-Sport foundations should be seen as bribes offered to win business favors from the former president.
During Thursday’s trial, Chey also revealed that Park requested for SK Group’s support for a project designed to aid the blind and that he mentioned his concerns over a merger deal the group was pursuing.
Chey, however, denied that he had hoped to bribe politicians to further his business plans, saying “I have not lived with such ideas.”
By Choi He-suk (
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)