Choi Soon sil, former President Park Geun-hye’s longtime confidante, apologized to the public in an indication of a change in her attitude, during the first hearing held since Park Geun-hye was formally ousted from office by the court.

“I am so sorry to the public that we are sitting here as part of the corruption scandal. I feel I am very perplexed,” Choi said during the hearing. She is standing trial for colluding with Park and former presidential aide An Chong-bum to extort donations from local firms.
 
Choi once said she had committed a sin that deserves death. However, she later flatly denied the charges against her and showed no remorse, saying she and Park were wrongly framed in a scheme.

She has also denounced the special counsel, who recently ended a 70-day investigation into the corruption scandal, as “undemocratic.”

“I will take the burden I deserve. I should not have been involved in this,” she said.

Local pundits say the sudden change in her attitude hints at an attempt to seek a lower sentence, with the president thrown out of office. Choi allegedly wailed loudly at the news that Park was expelled by the court Friday.

Prosecutors are allegedly preparing to launch an investigation into the former president, as she lost her criminal immunity as a sitting president last week with the Constitutional Court’s approval of her impeachment.

The court unanimously ruled to remove Park from office, saying she violated the Constitution by abusing her presidential authority to help Choi’s profit-making activities through meddling in state affairs.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)