2016 South Korean political scandal
The 2016 South Korean political scandal, often called Park Geun-hye–Choi Soon-sil Gate in South Korea (Korean: 박근혜·최순실 게이트), was a scandal that emerged around October 2016 in relation to the unusual access that Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of shaman-esque cult leader Choi Tae-min, had to President Park Geun-hye of South Korea.[1][2][3][4]
Widespread coverage of this South Korean political scandal began in late October 2016.[5][6] On November 29, Park offered to begin the process of removing herself from power.[7] On December 9, Park was impeached, and then Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn became the acting president.[8] On December 21, a Special Prosecution Team led by Park Young Soo began to investigate the Choi Soon-sil scandal.[9][10] On March 10, 2017, the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled to uphold the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye. All eight judges agreed that President Park abused her power. A new election was held sixty days afterwards, that resulted in the victory of Democratic Party candidate Moon Jae-in. Moon won 41% of the popular vote in the election.[11]
Discovery of Choi Soon-sil's tablet computer[edit]
Reporters covering the story for JTBC Newsroom located a rental office in Germany which had previously been temporarily used by Choi. There, they retrieved a Samsung tablet computer which contained her login information.[20] They found that Choi had received drafts of 44 presidential speeches on the tablet before she abandoned it. One of the most troubling of these was a Microsoft Word document which contained a corrected draft of a speech made by Park in Germany on March 28, 2014.[21] To avoid plausible deniability by Park, they initially reported on October 19 that anonymous sources had rumored Choi was editing Park's speeches. Once Park responded by denying that any of her speeches had been sent to private individuals, JTBC publicized their possession of the tablet on October 24. The following morning, Park admitted that Choi had been acting as her unofficial, unpaid personal assistant.[20]
Coverage of Choi subsequently spread to all media. Media outlets reported that Choi and President Park's senior staff members, including both Ahn Jong-bum and Jeong Ho-sung, have allegedly used their influence to extort ₩77.4 billion (US$60 million) from Korean chaebols—family-owned large business conglomerates—and set up two culture- and sports-related foundations, Mir and K-sports foundations.[22][23][24] National fencer Ko Young-tae, who was a close friend of Choi Soon-sil, is suspected of being involved in the management of shell corporation The Blue K and Widec Sports. Choi set up these companies in Korea and Germany allegedly to funnel money from the foundations.[25][26][27]
Parliamentary hearing[edit]
On 6 December, chiefs of South Korea's major conglomerates (chaebols) came to the National Assembly to attend the first parliamentary hearing on the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil. It happened for the first time since 1988.[53] Participants included Samsung Electronics Vice Chair Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Chair Chung Mong-koo, Lotte Group Chair Shin Dong-bin, SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won and the heads of CJ, LG, Hanwha and Hanjin, The Federation of Korean Industries.[54] In the hearing, presidents of the chaebols told the parliament that they were not seeking favours when they made contributions to two foundations at the heart of a scandal that appeared poised to bring down President Park Geun-hye.[55]
On 7 December 2016, President Park's former aides, including ex-chief of staff Kim Ki-choon and former Vice Culture Minister Kim Jong, testified in the 2nd parliamentary hearing about suspicions that Choi Soon-sil meddled in government affairs.[56]
On 14 December 2016, the Special Committee of the Parliament held a 3rd hearing, focused on solving the mystery surrounding President Park's 7-hour public absence on the day of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking.[57]
On 15 December 2016, the Special Committee held a 4th hearing to question the allegations over Mir and K-Sports foundation and how Chung Yoo-ra cheated her way through Ewha Womans University. Jeong Hyun-sik, a former K-Sports head, and former Ewha Womans University president Choi Kyung-hee and other affiliated people testified in the hearing.[58]
On 22 December 2016, a 5th hearing was held to question former Presidential Secretary Woo Byung-woo and former presidential nurse Cho Yeo-ok.[59][60]
On 26 December 2016, special committee members of the National Assembly held a 6th hearing in a prison and met Choi Soon-sil in her detention cell; she repeatedly refused to attend a parliamentary hearing. She denied most of her allegations over the influence-peddling scandal.[61][62]
On 9 January 2017, a 7th hearing was held to question Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun, former chief of admissions at Ewha Womans University Namkung Gon, K-Sports Foundation Chairman Chung Dong Chun, and a staffer at the presidential security office Ku Soon-sung. The hearing confirmed that a blacklist for left-leaning artists existed.[63][64]