Korea's ambassador to Myanmar admits Choi's involvement in his appointment
South Korea's Ambassador to Myanmar Yoo Jae-kyung admitted Tuesday that President Park Geun-hye's confidante, who is at the center of an influence-peddling scandal, was involved in his appointment last year, investigators said.
An independent counsel team looking into the scandal recently began investigating suspicions that Park's jailed friend Choi Soon-sil attempted to gain financially by exploiting Korea's massive aid program in Myanmar. Choi allegedly recommended Yoo to the president after interviewing him in March 2016.
Yoo, 58, a former senior executive at Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., had no experience in diplomacy when he was appointed to the post in May 2016.
During the interrogation, Yoo testified that he met Choi several times and became the ambassador following her recommendation, reversing his previous statement, the probe team's spokesman Lee Kyu-chul said.
Before he entered the probe team's office in the morning, he told reporters that he did not know who recommended him as ambassador.
"If somebody has recommended me to this post with an ulterior motive, I can tell you that the person has got the wrong person," Yoo said.
He did not directly mention Choi and declined to comment when asked if he actually had the meeting in March.
"Upon appointment, I was told by the president that they were looking for somebody with experience in trade, instead of an authentic diplomat, so as to tap into the new market," Yoo added.
He is the second incumbent ambassador stationed abroad to be called in by investigators in relation to the scandal.
Ambassador to France Mo Chul-min returned to South Korea last month, following the investigation team's summons over suspicions the presidential office created a "blacklist" of cultural figures considered critical of the government. Mo served as a senior presidential secretary from 2013 to 2014.
Later on Tuesday, the investigation team sought an arrest warrant for Choi on charges of bribery to question her in connection with the Myanmar case. The writ is valid for 48 hours after issuance.
Choi, who has been in custody since late last year, has declined to answer to the probe team's summons claiming the prosecutors have been "repressive."
The investigation team interrogated her with a warrant on Wednesday, but she has exercised her right to remain silent. (Yonhap)
(责任编辑:产品中心)
- Tesla issues recall for 9,100 Model X cars
- Instagram co
- Why some viruses die out in summer, but others thrive
- 车船税变动 买车计划变不变
- Norris stuns Verstappen at Dutch GP
- World’s first ‘meltdown
- Benzema and Kroos fire Madrid to Bilbao win
- Jay Z's venture capital fund is here
- Even Piers Morgan thinks Rudy Giuliani 'sounds completely barking mad'
- [Graphic News] Average book price nears 20,000 won
- Everyone's favourite physicist has a far
- 设立昼夜查缉点 挡获一辆被盗车
- NK athletes, believed to be attending taekwondo event in Kazakhstan, arrive in Beijing
-
New Grok response directs users to Vote.gov for election questions
X's native AI chatbot Grok is now providing users with election-related queries a Vote.gov banner an ...[详细] -
FrolicMe's glossy videos are actual 'porn for women'
Google "porn for women" right now (if you're not on a work-sanctioned laptop), and you'll likely be ...[详细] -
本报讯 近日,石棉县公安局精心组织、周密部署,在全县范围内开展了一次集中清查行动。此次清查行动严厉打击发生在重要安保任务期间的各种危害社会安全、妨害社会管理秩序和侵犯人身、财产安全的违法犯罪行为,着力 ...[详细]
-
Now you can scan to identify plants and dogs right in Snapchat
Have you ever seen a dog so adorable or a plant so lush out in the wild that you had to know what it ...[详细] -
Echo Dot (5th gen) deal — get it for $29.99 at Amazon
GET $20 OFF:As of Aug. 23, you can get an Echo Dot (5th gen) for $29.99 at Amazon, down from $49.99. ...[详细] -
雅化集团七大竞争优势被看好记者:11月26日,您在上海率路演团队与询价机构进行了交流。路演中,雅化集团高管团队踏实稳健的态度和积极进取的精神给机构投资者留下了深刻的印象。雅化集团上市的优势是什么?郑戎 ...[详细]
-
Girls bat and bowl for equality
KARACHI:Australian High Commissioner of Pakistan Neil Hawkins lauded the parents for supporting thei ...[详细] -
The Russian government trolled Sarah Jessica Parker and 2017 is the weirdest year of our lives
You'd think the strangest story of the day would be two Hollywood stars-turned-politicians, fighting ...[详细] -
22 Unusual Things You Can Find in the Desert
In the desert, it can seem like very little exists aside from dunes and a few creatures that are ada ...[详细] -
Ronaldo, Messi roll back the years in thriller
RIYADH:Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi transported fans back in time to the heyday of their stori ...[详细]
- 中山古镇:到苏炳添家乡看“村BA”,来一场说走就走的美食之旅
- Benzema and Kroos fire Madrid to Bilbao win
- Troubled Juventus docked 15 points
- Great, now Apple users are seeing outages
- The Composer Has No Clothes
- Seth Rogen has a blunt method of tackling 'All Lives Matter' commenters on Instagram
- Partying Americans just got a reality check from the coronavirus