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| Lawmakers on a National Assembly panel investigating a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye speak to the press after arriving at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. They sought to question a presidential security team at their office as part of the probe into what Park was doing while the Sewol ferry was sinking on April 16, 2014, but their request was rejected. / Yonhap |
By Rachel Lee
Cheong Wa Dae blocked a National Assembly panel, Friday, from entering the presidential compound as part of its investigation into what President Park Geun-hye was doing while the Sewol ferry was sinking on April 16, 2014.
The lawmakers sought to question a presidential security team and hairstylists who did Park's hair during the critical hours that day, but Cheong Wa Dae disallowed them, citing security reasons and no precedent.
The lawmakers harshly criticized the presidential office for attempting to cover up the case, saying they will visit the presidential office again for questioning after an Assembly hearing on Dec. 22.
The panel, which was set up to probe the corruption scandal involving Park and her confidant Choi Soon-sil, started its investigation on Dec. 5.
The day before the visit, the presidential office rejected the investigation as Cheong Wa Dae is "designated as a special district protected for national security," the presidential security team wrote in a memo submitted to the Assembly.
"There is no precedent of allowing on-the-spot inspections or search and seizure. If allowed, internal classified information including its security systems will inevitably be made public."
Early in the day, the panel visited a plastic surgery clinic in southern Seoul run by Kim Young-jae as part of its investigation. The plastic surgeon, who holds no official title in the Park administration, is under suspicion of providing treatment to the President during the ferry sinking, which he denied, saying he was golfing at the time.
The investigation found out that Choi called herself a different name every time she visited the clinic.
A clinic official said Choi spent about 80 million won ($67,000) on 136 beauty treatments since October 2013, which was all paid in cash.
At a National Assembly hearing, Wednesday, the doctor said: "I visited Cheong Wa Dae to treat the President's skin problems and other troubles on several occasions after receiving calls from there," adding that he did not go through any security checks.
The panel cancelled its visit to the "Chaum" medical clinic in Seoul, where Choi reportedly received prescriptions for placenta injections for Park, due to lack of time.
Kim Sang-man, a doctor at Chaum who is known to have ties to Choi said: "Without being accompanied by the President's doctor, I gave placenta injections to the President three times at Cheong Wa Dae before I was designated as a medical adviser."
In addition, Kim Sang-man admitted he hadnot briefed the relevant office at Cheong Wa Dae about the injections, adding that he also was not subject to security checks.
The National Assembly passed a motion in mid-November to set up a special panel to probe the corruption scandal involving President Park and her confidant Choi. The panel, consisting of 18 ruling and opposition lawmakers, will last for two months, Dec. 5. The period can be extended once for an additional month.
The Assembly thinks an on-the-spot inspection could give some clues to Park's mysterious whereabouts for seven hours on the day of the sinking of the ferry, and about the frequent access of Park's unofficial aides including Choi.
Cheong Wa Dae has been evasive since Park's impeachment by the National Assembly.
In the third Assemnly hearing, Wednesday, Cheong Wa Dae staff members Lee Young-sun and Yoon Jeon-chu — who were on the list of witnesses — did not appear. When Assembly officials visited Cheong Wa Dae to summon the officials later in the day, they were told that the two were taking vacations.
