Ko Young-tae, the man who President Park Geun-hye’s lawyers said was the seed of a scandal that led to her impeachment, called the claim “disgusting.” 

Park's lawyers said at the impeachment trial last week that the president’s friendship with Choi Soon-sil had no problems until Choi started an affair with Ko, a former fencing champion 20 years her junior. 

Ko, after learning Choi’s close ties to the president, sought to derive personal gains from it and as he failed held grudge against Choi and Park, which gave rise to the scandal, the attorneys said. 

“It’s disgusting,” Ko said on the witness stand of Choi’s trial on Monday. “It is just pitiful that the defense team of the nation’s president made such an argument at the Constitutional Court.” 

Ko is being asked to testify Thursday at Park’s trial in the highest court, but he didn’t clearly say whether or not he intends to attend. 

As for whether or not he actually had a romantic relationship with Choi, he refused to answer. 

In a parliamentary hearing late last year, he had denied the notion. 

Ko ran a bag-designing company and supplied luxury bags to the president via Choi. He also served as director of The Blue-K, one of Choi’s business interests. 

At the start of the scandal last year, Ko gave media interviews and testified at the parliament and the prosecution to expose the Park-Choi ties and how Choi used it to gain influence and favors.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)