hankyoreh

Former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil

Former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil predicted embattled President Park Geun-hye will resist demands for her to step down.

“She’s going to keep sitting there, even if all 50 million South Koreans come at her to tell her to step down or say, ‘What kind of President are you?’” Kim said.

In a Sisa Journal interview published on Nov. 14, Kim said Park “will not resign no matter what happens.”

“There is no one out there who could break her stubbornness. She inherited only the bad traits from [her parents] President Park [Chung-hee] and First Lady Yuk Young-soo,” he added.

Kim was Prime Minister from 1971-75, then again from 1998-2000. He is the husband of Park Yeong-ok, daughter of Park Chung-hee‘s older brother Park Sang-hee, and is known to be closely familiar with the story between Park Chung-hee and Choi Tae-min (Park Geun-hye’s late mentor and Choi Sun-sil’s father) in the 1970s.

“[Park Geun-hye] was very close to Choi Tae-min. He would go into her room and they would not come out,” Kim recalled. “This happened several times. I don’t know what they were talking about or doing, but they would stay in there from morning until dark.”

“What does it say that Park Chung-hee told [Korean Central Intelligence Agency director] Kim Jae-gyu, ‘Investigate that Choi Tae-min character and find out what he’s about‘?” Kim asked. “Kim Jae-gyu said, ‘Your father ordered me to investigate,’ and Geun-hye screamed at him, ‘Do whatever you want.’ Then she went to her father sobbing and making a scene.”

When asked if he had any advice to give President Park Geun-hye, Kim replied, “I’d rather not. If I say the wrong thing, she’ll go to her grave loathing me. She’s that bad.”

Kim also commented on the warm image of Yuk Young-soo, who was killed in 1974 during an assassination attempt on her husband.

“She affected a manner that was befitting of the name of ‘First Lady,’” he said.

After material from the interview was reported, Kim put out a press release saying he had “been visited by a hometown friend a few days ago, and we talked in jest about some of the things people are saying. He secretly recorded it and twisted and exaggerated it into a vile article.”

“I plan to take legal action,” the release continued.

By Lee Kyung-mi, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]