剧情简介
A thorough and strict investigation so as to clarify the truth and punish all those involved, regardless of rank and affiliation.
President Park Geun-hye’s call for justice might have gained her sympathy, if not for the contradictory stance over the irregularity charges upon herself.
But amid her apparent efforts to shun questioning by the prosecution, Park’s words ring hollow, as did her last public apology over the corruption scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil.
“The president has ordered the justice minister to use all powers to swiftly probe the Busan Haeundae LCT corruption case, reveal the truth and punish all those involved, regardless of position,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Jung Youn-kuk said Wednesday in a press briefing.
There is no doubt that the scandal -- concerning an alleged delivery of some 50 billion won ($42.6 million) in kickbacks to ranking public servants and politicians -- requires an in-depth investigation.
Rumors have been ongoing that the extensive bribery, if clarified, would deliver a considerable blow on not only government officials but also a number of opposition figures.
But Park’s abrupt vow for justice came right in the middle of heightening tensions between the presidential office and the prosecution over Park’s face-to-face questioning.
But on the previous day, Park’s legal representative further fueled the public’s anger by demanding that the prosecutorial investigation be delayed by a whole week, citing a “state affairs vacuum” and the president’s “rights to privacy as a woman.”
The investigation order on the LCT case also popped up amid the opposition parties’ growing call for the president’s complete resignation, with some of them gearing up for impeachment. But Cheong Wa Dae has so far shown little response to such moves, only claiming to have “embraced the public sentiment with a heavy heart.”
So when the spokesman heralded an emergency press briefing Wednesday afternoon, the Blue House press room began speculating whether the president would at last reveal her stance on the probe. Some anticipated that the spokesman might reiterate the president’s earlier stance that she would neither admit to the given allegations, nor step down from power.
But as soon as the keyword “Busan LCT” came out, groans emerged from a number of reporters, possibly out of disappointment or anger.
Either way, the negative mood that swept across the press was no more than a reflection of the nation’s public sentiment -- resentment against the president’s continued lack of response.
This sudden intervention in an ongoing investigation was made by a president who, since her last public apology, has been taking a backseat in state affairs.
This is a president who, by putting off an imminent prosecutorial questioning, effectively contradicted her earlier pledge to “fully cooperate in the related investigation.”
This is a president who, despite the escalating circumstantial evidence, has been refusing to explain her lack of action during the crucial seven hours following the sinking of the Sewol ferry which resulted in hundreds of deaths back in 2014.
Cheong Wa Dae defensively claimed that the statement on the LCT probe was no more than a response to the burgeoning suspicions from the opposition circles.
What is really required of the Blue House, however, is to answer to other doubts, the unanswered suspicions which gathered over 1 million citizens in protest last Saturday.
By Bae Hyun-jung(tellme@heraldcorp.com)
President Park Geun-hye’s call for justice might have gained her sympathy, if not for the contradictory stance over the irregularity charges upon herself.
But amid her apparent efforts to shun questioning by the prosecution, Park’s words ring hollow, as did her last public apology over the corruption scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil.
“The president has ordered the justice minister to use all powers to swiftly probe the Busan Haeundae LCT corruption case, reveal the truth and punish all those involved, regardless of position,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Jung Youn-kuk said Wednesday in a press briefing.
There is no doubt that the scandal -- concerning an alleged delivery of some 50 billion won ($42.6 million) in kickbacks to ranking public servants and politicians -- requires an in-depth investigation.
Rumors have been ongoing that the extensive bribery, if clarified, would deliver a considerable blow on not only government officials but also a number of opposition figures.
But Park’s abrupt vow for justice came right in the middle of heightening tensions between the presidential office and the prosecution over Park’s face-to-face questioning.
But on the previous day, Park’s legal representative further fueled the public’s anger by demanding that the prosecutorial investigation be delayed by a whole week, citing a “state affairs vacuum” and the president’s “rights to privacy as a woman.”
The investigation order on the LCT case also popped up amid the opposition parties’ growing call for the president’s complete resignation, with some of them gearing up for impeachment. But Cheong Wa Dae has so far shown little response to such moves, only claiming to have “embraced the public sentiment with a heavy heart.”
So when the spokesman heralded an emergency press briefing Wednesday afternoon, the Blue House press room began speculating whether the president would at last reveal her stance on the probe. Some anticipated that the spokesman might reiterate the president’s earlier stance that she would neither admit to the given allegations, nor step down from power.
But as soon as the keyword “Busan LCT” came out, groans emerged from a number of reporters, possibly out of disappointment or anger.
Either way, the negative mood that swept across the press was no more than a reflection of the nation’s public sentiment -- resentment against the president’s continued lack of response.
This sudden intervention in an ongoing investigation was made by a president who, since her last public apology, has been taking a backseat in state affairs.
This is a president who, by putting off an imminent prosecutorial questioning, effectively contradicted her earlier pledge to “fully cooperate in the related investigation.”
This is a president who, despite the escalating circumstantial evidence, has been refusing to explain her lack of action during the crucial seven hours following the sinking of the Sewol ferry which resulted in hundreds of deaths back in 2014.
Cheong Wa Dae defensively claimed that the statement on the LCT probe was no more than a response to the burgeoning suspicions from the opposition circles.
What is really required of the Blue House, however, is to answer to other doubts, the unanswered suspicions which gathered over 1 million citizens in protest last Saturday.
By Bae Hyun-jung(tellme@heraldcorp.com)
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