Park Geun-hye, “Prosecutors on the impeachment investigation team serve in key government positions... Never explicitly mentioned candidate nominations and Yoo Seong-min”

Former President Park Geun-hye greets citizens in Hyeonpung Market in Dalseong-gun, Daegu on September 25. Yonhap News

Former President Park Geun-hye spoke about her impeachment and apologized for disappointing the people and causing concern after failing to manage the people around her and failing to fulfill the position she was entrusted with until the end. The former president said she was relieved when Yoon Suk-yeol entered office for he ended the “leftist government’s term in office” and replaced it with a conservative government. Although she said that it was inappropriate for her to comment, she mentioned that several prosecutors who were in the investigation team at the time of her impeachment were currently serving in key positions, including the minister, in the Yoon Suk-yeol government.

In an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily conducted in her home in Dalseong-gun, Daegu on September 11, Park Geun-hye addressed the nation and said, “Once again I sincerely apologize for causing great disappointment and concern after failing to tend to the people around me and failing to fulfill to the end the task you entrusted to me.” This was her first official interview since she was pardoned by the Moon Jae-in government on December 31, 2021.

As for Choi Seo-won (formerly known as Choi Soon-sil), the former president said, “When I entered Cheongwadae after being elected president, there was no one to carry out my personal errands. Since I am a woman, there were things I could not ask my (male) secretaries to handle.” She explained, “So, Director Choi (Choi was the director of a kindergarten in the past, so Park usually referred to her as Director Choi) entered Cheongwadae and handled my errands.” She added, “I thought she was helping me without any selfish motives.”

Park Geun-hye also said, “I truly and deeply regretted not refusing Director Choi, when she first said that she would introduce some good people to sit on the board of directors of the foundations (K-Sports Foundation, Mir Foundation),” and again apologized to the people claiming it was all due to her negligence and mistake in not properly managing the people around her.

The former president also spoke about the National Intelligence Service (NIS) paying for her “special activity” expenses and said, “Shortly after my inauguration, my staff told me that it was something that they (NIS) did for previous governments as well, so I told my staff to use the funds when performing tasks.” She argued, “None of the money was used for personal purposes. It is true that it was used to hand out Chuseok bonuses to Cheongwadae employees. Everything was my responsibility, and the three men had no responsibility in this.” Former NIS directors Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byung-kee and Lee Byung-ho, who were linked to the NIS’s support of the special activity expenses, were reinstated after a special New Year’s pardon on December 28, 2022 after the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol government.

On the illegal intervention in candidate nominations for the parliamentary elections in 2016, Park said, “It is really a lie if a president says he is not interested in the parliamentary elections,” and argued, “I have no memory of drawing up a specific list and giving it to the party telling them to nominate the people on the list.” At the same time, she said, “I never explicitly told them not to nominate lawmaker Yoo Seong-min. But a Cheongwadae staff knew that I was not happy with Yoo, so eventually it (candidate nomination controversy) was my responsibility.”

As for the evaluation that the Park Geun-hye government was a failure, she said, “If you say that it was my personal failure because I was not able to serve until the end of my term, I accept it.” She continued and said, “But if you say that the government was a failure in terms of policy, then I don’t know what policy you’re saying is wrong. The disbandment of the Unified Progressive Party, reforms in the Government Employees Pension, the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, and the positioning of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missiles were all matters that could determine the fate of our nation, so I think they were tasks we had to do at all costs.” Park said that her mind was complicated after hearing that Moon Jae-in had won in the presidential election and added, “After the Moon Jae-in government launched, I heard news of his response to North Korea’s nuclear program and the discord with our allies and was concerned for a number of reasons including national security.”

Park continued to speak about the Yoon Suk-yeol government and said, “First, I was relieved that the leftist government’s term in office was not extended and that it was replaced with a conservative government.” She further said, “From what I know several prosecutors who took part in the investigation team at the time (of the impeachment) are in key positions in the Yoon Suk-yeol government, such as the minister.” Yet she also said, “Since it’s up to the person appointing key officials to choose his nominees, I don’t think it is appropriate to speak about this.” She added, “It has been about a year and four months since the launch of the incumbent government, and I think it is a little hasty to assess the direction and policies of this government.”

Park spoke about next year’s parliamentary elections and said, “Personally, I don’t have any special plans for next year’s parliamentary elections. I have said several times that politically, there are no pro-Park figures.” She stressed, “If a person who used to be in politics in the past decides to re-enter the political arena, it may be a personal choice. But I hope he won’t say anything like he is doing it to restore my honor and that it is connected to me when he chooses to do so.”

Former President Park said, “I left the frontlines of politics, but if it is something that will help this country in the least bit and if it is something that I can do, then I plan to do it,” and added, “I believe that is the way to repay what I can the love that the people have shown me.”