Inside the Spin‑Twist Saga of South Korea’s Shadowy Power‑Game
*
Who’s the Big Boss in the Secret Ring?
*
Choi Soon‑sil, 61, sits at the center of a nasty political mess that smashed Park Geun‑hye’s presidency. The former leader was basically a puppet, with her daddy – Choi Tae‑min – anchoring the whole operation for decades. After the father’s death, the daughter continued pulling the strings, and now she’s staring at a 20‑year sentence that could keep her behind bars for life.
From Dream Letters to Mind Control
*
In 1974 Park’s mother was shot in an attempt that went sideways, leaving her father, Park Chung‑hee, died a few years later.
Choi Tae‑min sent the future President a strange letter: “I saw your mother in my dreams.”
The letter won the President’s trust.
Later, a leaked US diplomatic cable claimed the dad had “complete control over Park’s body and soul.”
Choi Soon‑sil got cozy with Park, handling everything from policy stunts to the President’s wardrobe.
Kidnapped Politics? Far Cry from Reality
*
In 1990 Park’s siblings begged President Roh Tae‑woo to “rescue” them from the Choi clan’s influence.
Sister Park Geun‑Ryoung revealed that the clan tricked Park into cutting ties with family.
When Choi Tae‑min died in 1994, the daughter took the reins.
By 1997, Park was in Parliament; 2012, she got the presidential seat, and the Choi influence went full‑scale.
Backstage Tactics in the Blue House
*
No official title, yet Choi Soon‑sil dictated policy and PR moves right under President Park’s nose.
Recorded phone calls showed her hurrying a Park aide: “Did you write it down?” or “Why didn’t you do that last time?”
While the aide used deferential Korean honorifics, Choi would bluntly call his side.
Prosecutors say she pushed Samsung and other big firms to pour millions into fake foundations—funds she claimed she’d “personal gain” the money.
Scandals Emerge
*
2016: A Seoul TV outlet found Park’s drafts on Choi’s tablet—secret speeches, policy outlines.
October that year, Choi first appeared before prosecutors, tearful and apologetic. But she later refused all charges, maintaining she had no real influence.
Park Geun‑hye cleared running for office grabbed a “public apology”.
A former lawmaker, Chun Yu‑Ok, slammed the clan as “vulgar, greedy, sleazy.”
She warned that if Park became President, the Choi crew would govern the country—“a big tragedy,” she says.
Why This Still Sparks Uproar
*
The scandal highlighted how close personal bonds can leak into politics and how easy it is to pull other major firms into the mess.
Protesters yell for justice because they see a pattern: powerful families using politicians as fronts, and ordinary citizens caught in the crossfire.
Bottom Line: Power, Guilt, and the Drafts of a Presidential Life
*
The record shows, in plain English, that a shadowy aunt‑or‑father‑child duo managed to slide through South Korea’s highest office, only to be caught by the very leaks that doctors hope are in the public’s best interest. The story leaves us wondering—who’s really pulling the strings in our governments, and how long can it be?
