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| Rep. Park Young-sun of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, second from left, compares two photos of President Park Geun-hye taken before and after the sinking of the Sewol ferry on April 16, 2014, during a session of the parliamentary investigation into the scandal involving the President, Monday. The lawmaker alleged that Park may have been receiving wrinkle treatment for hours while the ship was sinking. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
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| Rep. An Min-suk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea shows a message from a Korean resident living in Texas during a National Assembly investigation session Monday into the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. / Yonhap |
This may be because the Seoul's defense ministry requested protection for the nurse, identified only as Capt. Cho, according to Rep. An Min-suk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
Cho worked at the presidential office at the time of the country's worst maritime disaster that killed 304 people.
An also claimed Cheong Wa Dae has systematically monitored Cho, who is currently taking a course at a U.S. Army hospital in Texas.
The lawmaker said when he visited Texas late last month to interview the nurse, a Korean male officer was seen "guarding" her. An also claimed the U.S. military did not allow him to meet with Cho and told him that it could not confirm anything about her. When he asked why, the four-term legislator said that the U.S. military cited a request from the Korean government.
Cho was one of two army nurses who worked at Cheong Wa Dae in 2014.
An said Cho is a key witness into Park's "seven missing hours."
The President appeared at an emergency measures headquarters seven hours after the tragic incident began.
Owing to the lack of an explanation about her whereabouts during those critical hours, rumors have abounded that she might have been undergoing plastic surgery or another medical procedure.
After the high-profile corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving the President and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil became public in late October, opposition lawmakers and prosecutors have also been looking into the seven-hour absence.
An belongs to an 18-member National Assembly panel investigating the scandal, which is being conducted separately from an investigation by the prosecution, and one to be conducted by an independent counsel expected to start this week.
He visited the U.S. from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, but failed to meet Cho.
"I was so close to meeting Cho on the base, but the meeting fell through due to the U.S. military interrupting it," An said during a radio interview. "The U.S. military said there was a request from the Korean government but did not confirm whether the body that made such a request was Cheong Wa Dae, the Ministry of National Defense or the Korean Embassy."
At the parliamentary investigation session, the lawmaker said soon after he failed to meet Cho, she suddenly held an interview with Korean correspondents in the U.S. and denied allegations surrounding Park.
"This has only fueled suspicion," he said, raising the possibility of government intervention.
During the interview, Nov. 30, Cho said Park received no treatment from medical staff on the day of the ferry disaster. When asked whether Park usually received Botox wrinkle treatment or other cosmetic procedures, Cho said, "Not that I know of."
She also refused to answer questions on whether Park received various nutritional injections or used outside medical facilities, citing patient confidentiality.
Disclosing a tipoff from a Korean-American soldier, An said the Korean male officer suddenly appeared at a cafeteria on the base on Nov. 29.
"I demand that the identification of this male officer, who was closely monitoring Cho, be revealed," An said. "I also call for disclosing who had Cho move her residence four times in four months since August."
The lawmaker called on the Assembly to have her appear before the parliamentary hearing.
An also denied reports that he was caught sneaking onto the U.S. base to interview Cho. The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese daily, reported Friday that An tried to enter the military facility without authorization and was immediately expelled.
He said he entered the base without any legal problems, showing a photo of him and a U.S. military officer taken inside the base.
"If I trespassed there and was expelled, I would not have been able to take this photo," he said.
Meanwhile, the defense ministry denied allegations that the male officer has been monitoring Cho.
"An Army doctor also has been training in Texas for a month," spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said. "The male officer An was talking about would be this person."
Moon said the male officer will be returning home today.
