The Shadow of a President

The ongoing saga of who controls the South Korean president

A great graphic from The Investor

In a previous article (Part 1 can be found HERE), I charted my quick journey watching a conspiracy theory turn mainstream concerning South Korean President Park Geun-hye being controlled by a shadowy figure: Choi Soon-sil. It’s a fascinating short story that involves a religious cult leader, a potential cabal of powerful billionaire women called ‘the eight fairies’, plenty of corruption and probably even more influencing of state affairs.

Since I wrote that article a few more things have come to light.

First, Choi Soon-sil returned to South Korea from Germany on Sunday where she avoided questions for a full day before being summoned on Monday because, according to her lawyer:

“…she needs time to rest after the long flight.”

And thus, accusations are already flying about what she was able to do during that day to prepare for questioning. Destroy files? Link her story up with others?

Also on Sunday, President Park accepted the resignations of three top aides, including the chief of staff. Could they be resigning because they were sick of Park’s behavior? Or could they be resigning because of they were hand-picked by Choi?

On Monday, Choi was questioned at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office where she was quoted as saying:

“I committed a crime I deserve to die for. Please forgive me.”

On Tuesday, certain companies were being boycotted because of their links to this scandal — a restaurant chain, S Plus International, and a popular children’s clothing firm, Suhyang Networks.

Turns out, Suhyang Networks’ CEO, Seo Dong-beom, is the husband of Choi Soon-cheon… Choi’s younger sister who happens to run S Plus International.

And then there’s this:

“A month after Park’s inauguration in February 2013, Seo was honored as an Exemplary Taxpayer by the National Tax Service, delaying tax investigation and collection for three years. His firm is also suspected of receiving a loan at a lower interest rate than other blue-chips that have more capital and post more sales than Suhyang. The Financial Consumer Agency is considering charging Suhyang and involved banks with unfair preferential interest rates.”

It looks like there’s still plenty to unravel in this ongoing saga. And if there’s any question as to where to focus one’s attention, I’ll leave you with a quote from from Shin Dong-uk, Park’s second husband:

“Nothing about President Park Geun-hye can be explained without the Choi family. They’ve become Park’s hands and legs.”

[PART 1 ; PART 3]