South Korea’s President offered a surprise public apology on Tuesday after acknowledging her close ties to a mysterious woman at the center of a corruption scandal.
South Korea’s President offered a surprise public apology on Tuesday after acknowledging her close ties to a mysterious woman at the center of a corruption scandal.
President Park Geun-hye’s apology came a day after a South Korean TV network, JTBC, reported that the woman, who has no government job, was informally involved in editing some of Ms Park’s key speeches. Other media have speculated that the woman, Choi Soon-sil, might have meddled in other state affairs.
Ms Park’s approval ratings have plummeted to a record low amid weeks of media reports that Choi might have used her connections to Ms Park to push companies to make tens of millions of dollars in contributions to establish two non-profit foundations.
In a nationally televised speech, Ms Park said that Choi helped her on speeches and public relations issues during her 2012 presidential campaign and after her 2013 inauguration. Ms Park said she eventually stopped getting such help from Choi, but didn’t say when that help stopped.
“To me, it was something that I did out of a pure intent to do things more thoroughly, but regardless of any reason, I am sorry that I caused concern to the people of our nation, caught them by surprise and hurt their feelings,” Ms Park said, bowing deeply.
Ms Park didn’t mention Choi's corruption allegations, but there was a frenzied social media reaction in South Korea over the President’s acknowledgment.
