The main opposition party turned up the heat on President Park Geun-hye on Sunday to clarify her stance on allegations that a former aide interfered in the running of state affairs.
The scandal surrounding Jeong Yun-hoe, a former chief secretary to Park during her term in parliament, is snowballing following a media report last week that he regularly met with incumbent presidential secretaries and received briefings from them.
The report said Jeong tried to mastermind a plot to oust Kim Ki-choon, the current chief secretary to President Park, as he wields enormous influence in the running of state affairs even without holding an official position.
“President Park should come up with a clear stance and stern punishment measures when she meets with senior secretaries on Monday,” Han Jeong-ae, a spokeswoman for the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, said in a briefing, referring to the scandal.
“If Park avoids mentioning the issue, it will amount to a confirmation that there has been hidden power centered on Jeong and he has been meddling in state affairs through his ties with President Park,” Han noted.
The main opposition party also labeled the scandal as the “Jeong Yun-hoe gate,” claiming that Jeong and other unofficial bigwigs have been monopolizing (the running of) state affairs.
The ruling Saenuri Party, however, said that it should first be probed by the prosecution.
Following the report last week, Cheong Wa Dae denied the allegations and lodged a complaint with the prosecution against the daily for libel.
“As Cheong Wa Dae accused the concerned press company, the prosecution now holds the key to finding the truth,” party spokesman Kim Young-woo said in a separate briefing. “The prosecution should thoroughly investigate this issue without leaving a speck of doubt,” he said.
Kim also called on the opposition party to refrain from politicizing the issue and wait with patience until a probe result is released. (Yonhap)
