South Korean Scandal

[Love Mountain]

The essence of the scandal is this: It has emerged that Park, notoriously aloof even to her top aides, has been taking private counsel from Choi Soon-sil, a woman she’s known for four decades. Despite having no official position and no security clearance, Choi seems to have advised Park on everything from her wardrobe to speeches about the dream of reunification with North Korea […]
Choi is the daughter of the late Choi Tae-min, who was a kind of shaman-fortune teller described in a 2007 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul as “a charismatic pastor.” Locally, he’s seen as a “Korean Rasputin” who once held sway over Park after her mother was assassinated in 1974..

Source
In reaction:

Thousands of South Koreans took to the streets of the capital on Saturday calling for increasingly unpopular president Park Geun-hye to step down over allegations that she let an old friend, the daughter of a religious cult leader, interfere in important state affairs. The evening protest came after Park ordered 10 of her senior secretaries to resign over a scandal that is likely to deepen the president’s lame duck status ahead of next year’s election.
Holding candles and signs reading “Who’s the real president?” and “Park Geun-hye, step down”, the protesters marched through downtown Seoul after holding a candlelight vigil near City Hall. Police estimated that about 12,000 people turned out for the biggest anti-government demonstration in Seoul in months.

Park ordered 10 of her senior secretaries to resign after she admitted letting an old friend and the daughter of a religious cult leader to interfere in important state affairs.

Source
The government wobbles:

South Korea's president has ordered the resignation of 10 of her senior secretaries as political turmoil grips the country.President Park Geun-hye directed the officials to step down Friday, her spokesman Jung Youn-kuk told CNN.
"The President will carry out reshuffling the Office of the President in the near future," Jung Youn-kuk said.
Senior secretaries are essentially aides who coordinate policy between the presidency and government ministries.
Those ordered to resign include the senior secretaries to the president for policy coordination, political affairs, civil affairs, foreign affairs and national security, public relations, economic affairs, future strategy, education and culture, employment and welfare and personnel affairs, according to the presidential office's website.

Source
[Latest development] and will possibly fall:

South Korean prosecutors raided President Park Geun-hye’s presidential compound on Saturday, widening their investigation into an influence-peddling scandal that is threatening her grip on power.
The search was disrupted before its completion after Park’s office submitted a letter of disapproval, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said in a text message. Earlier, it said that investigators searched the offices of two presidential secretaries at 2 p.m. in Seoul and planned to conclude the procedure by Sunday if possible.
The president’s resistance is “unacceptable," prosecutors said in the text message. They vowed to execute the search warrant, without elaborating.
The unusual move came hours after the presidential office said Park told her 10 chief advisers to resign over a scandal that has sent her approval ratings to all-time lows. Park had apologized Tuesday in a nationally televised address over consulting her friend Choi Soon-sil -- who opposition lawmakers have linked to a religious cult -- on “some documents” for a certain period of time after she took office in 2013.

Source





So Im sure you've all seen it on the news by now, but it seems like the current President of South Korea has some kind of a gypsy shaman advisor, unusually close to her.

This debacle has become a huge scandal in South Korea with good reason. This is a huge mess with talks of Shamans, puppet presidents, and a shadow cabal of 8 women. Almost like a badly written conspiracy novel.

Now I normally cheer for any defeat of right wingers anywhere in the world, but this instance strikes me in a funny way. If you've followed my posts over the years you know that I was never impressed with South Korea frequently calling it corrupt. Because it is, but this is something else. If it turns out that the President and her aide Choi Soon Sil are somehow connected to Korean chaebols... Well. It'd be something else.

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EDIT: Added sources. Courtesy of skh1

[tgoodenow]

So Im sure you've all seen it on the news by now, but it seems like the current President of South Korea has some kind of a gypsy shaman advisor, unusually close to her.

This debacle has become a huge scandal in South Korea with good reason. This is a huge mess with talks of Shamans, puppet presidents, and a shadow cabal of 8 women. Almost like a badly written conspiracy novel.

Now I normally cheer for any defeat of right wingers anywhere in the world, but this instance strikes me in a funny way. If you've followed my posts over the years you know that I was never impressed with South Korea frequently calling it corrupt. Because it is, but this is something else. If it turns out that the President and her aide Choi Soon Sil are somehow connected to Korean chaebols... Well. It'd be something else.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

Haven't seen anything about this on the news. Links please.

[skh1]

@ OP, seeing that you're mobile at the moment and perhaps not in the position to link to a source, please allow me:

The essence of the scandal is this: It has emerged that Park, notoriously aloof even to her top aides, has been taking private counsel from Choi Soon-sil, a woman she’s known for four decades. Despite having no official position and no security clearance, Choi seems to have advised Park on everything from her wardrobe to speeches about the dream of reunification with North Korea […]
Choi is the daughter of the late Choi Tae-min, who was a kind of shaman-fortune teller described in a 2007 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul as “a charismatic pastor.” Locally, he’s seen as a “Korean Rasputin” who once held sway over Park after her mother was assassinated in 1974..

Source


In reaction:

Thousands of South Koreans took to the streets of the capital on Saturday calling for increasingly unpopular president Park Geun-hye to step down over allegations that she let an old friend, the daughter of a religious cult leader, interfere in important state affairs. The evening protest came after Park ordered 10 of her senior secretaries to resign over a scandal that is likely to deepen the president’s lame duck status ahead of next year’s election.
Holding candles and signs reading “Who’s the real president?” and “Park Geun-hye, step down”, the protesters marched through downtown Seoul after holding a candlelight vigil near City Hall. Police estimated that about 12,000 people turned out for the biggest anti-government demonstration in Seoul in months.

Park ordered 10 of her senior secretaries to resign after she admitted letting an old friend and the daughter of a religious cult leader to interfere in important state affairs.

Source

The government wobbles:

South Korea's president has ordered the resignation of 10 of her senior secretaries as political turmoil grips the country.President Park Geun-hye directed the officials to step down Friday, her spokesman Jung Youn-kuk told CNN.
"The President will carry out reshuffling the Office of the President in the near future," Jung Youn-kuk said.
Senior secretaries are essentially aides who coordinate policy between the presidency and government ministries.
Those ordered to resign include the senior secretaries to the president for policy coordination, political affairs, civil affairs, foreign affairs and national security, public relations, economic affairs, future strategy, education and culture, employment and welfare and personnel affairs, according to the presidential office's website.

Source

[Latest development] and will possibly fall:

South Korean prosecutors raided President Park Geun-hye’s presidential compound on Saturday, widening their investigation into an influence-peddling scandal that is threatening her grip on power.
The search was disrupted before its completion after Park’s office submitted a letter of disapproval, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said in a text message. Earlier, it said that investigators searched the offices of two presidential secretaries at 2 p.m. in Seoul and planned to conclude the procedure by Sunday if possible.
The president’s resistance is “unacceptable," prosecutors said in the text message. They vowed to execute the search warrant, without elaborating.
The unusual move came hours after the presidential office said Park told her 10 chief advisers to resign over a scandal that has sent her approval ratings to all-time lows. Park had apologized Tuesday in a nationally televised address over consulting her friend Choi Soon-sil -- who opposition lawmakers have linked to a religious cult -- on “some documents” for a certain period of time after she took office in 2013.

Source

Needless to say:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

No source, just an assumption.

[Love Mountain]

Thank you for helping me out woth the source! Much appreciated.

So far it doesn't look good for Mrs. President and this all does smell of opportunism. I dont know who Choi is, but I do not see what is wrong woth having a close friend in the Blue House, even if it does border on inappropriatness. Too early to make any judgements yet, but I will be watching the developments closely.

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[fkizz]

This is indeed bizarre. Can it be said South Korea is a Theology? Can it be called secular? This is too bizarre for my book

It's like plot of an anime come true

[Love Mountain]

Nothing like that. If anything, it seems like Park simply has a close confidant who is not exactly a well-respected individual. I wouldn't keep such "friends" around the Blue House, but with the busy life of running the country I guess it was done for convenience sake. Sure, it is unfortunate that Choi has ties to less savory dealings, but I have seen absolutely zero evidence that Choi controls Park, or that there is a shadowy cabal, or that Chaebols control the Blue House. If anything, like I said, this just looks like a close friend of Park who benefits from Park being the President. They seem like close friends or confidants, but the fact that students and citizens took to the street over, quite honestly, rather pointless like that is a joke.

Is this scandalous? Yes. Is it impeachment worthy? Lol no. This is similar to the Lewinsky situation and I'm embarrassed at humanity every time something like this happens and everybody over-reacts.

[hellheaven1987]

I think people are just angry how the Korean elites can abuse their power to further their private interest; not a surprise all political enemies would use this event to attack Park though.

[caratacus]

This interesting story and one I can fully understand that Koreans are concerned about it.

Although not herself a Prime Minister, Cherie Blair the wife of our former PM Tony Blair, also had a mystic guru friend who's influence upon her and her husband led to numerous rumours and headlines.

The mystical friendship of Cherie and Carol
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/th...carol-1-858307
11/12/2002

In case people think its just influential women who are vulnerable to strange advisers. I could also mention Peter Mandelson, who's meteoric rise under Tony Blair to his position of United Kingdom's European Commissioner, is one that is highly questionable. Although whether it was due to mystic powers is open to question

The appointment of advisers by leading politicians or even their wives is one that should always be scrutinised very closely by the public.

[Garbarsardar]

Rasputin, Morell, Caplin, now this. I guess many politicians find reassuring to have their own charlatan advisor/sycophant.

[caratacus]

Rasputin, Morell, Caplin, now this. I guess many politicians find reassuring to have their own charlatan advisor/sycophant.

Except Morell was a quack doctor not a mystic or someone seeking influence. He was an opportunist who Hitler used because of his medical issues. It is doubtful he had any controlling influence upon Hitler.

Nevertheless it is certainly the case that drugs, superstition and sex are very much methods used to control people's actions and render certain individuals very vulnerable. It is therefore right to suspect anyone engaging in these activities in an unconventional way with politicians.

[Roma_Victrix]

Rasputin, Morell, Caplin, now this. I guess many politicians find reassuring to have their own charlatan advisor/sycophant.

Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind, Garbarsardar? Can you not see that President Park is wearied by your...malcontent.

[Phier]

I've been reading about this recently and it is so bizarre it makes the US election seem like a School PTA election.

The whole 8 godess thing is really odd and from some claims online it was some radical style feminist anti male group which used their power over the president to enact policy. I have no idea whats going on, and at this point I'm afraid to know.

[caratacus]

I've been reading about this recently and it is so bizarre it makes the US election seem like a School PTA election.

A key difference perhaps, is that the media in Korea seem to be the ones leading investigations to the extent of obtaining actual evidence.

Choi Soon-sil probe to widen to leaked documents
By Korea Herald staff
Published : 2016-10-25
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20161025000710
State prosecutors investigating the alleged influence peddling of Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of President Park Geun-hye, are to widen their probe to the latest allegation that Choi had access to over 200 confidential files, including drafts for presidential speeches.

“We have obtained a tablet (purportedly used by Choi) from JTBC and are now looking into the files,” an official at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office told local media
In a shocking revelation, local cable TV channel JTBC reported late Monday that it found over 200 documents purportedly leaked from Cheong Wa Dae on an abandoned computer used by Choi. These included presidential speeches and addresses for various meetings and important national occasions. Signs of editing were also spotted, it claimed.
The prosecution plans to get from JTBC the desktop computer where the presidential documents were reportedly found.

A civic group filed a complaint Tuesday, demanding all those responsible for the leak be duly punished.

[Love Mountain]

Everybody is quick to assume that Chaebols are somehow involved, but I havent seen any references aside from speculation trying to link the two.


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