The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday denied a report that President Park Geun-hye's confidante at the center of an influence-peddling scandal boarded the presidential flight on a trip to Iran in May.
Citing an unnamed source, a local media outlet reported Tuesday that Choi Soon-sil boarded the flight to accompany Park during her three-day state visit to Tehran. The trip was aimed at enhancing bilateral ties with the Islamic republic following its landmark nuclear deal with the West last year.
Choi has been the focus of public criticism as she is suspected of having abused her longtime relationship with the president to meddle in important state affairs and even influence government appointments.
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A photo taken on Nov. 15, 2016, shows presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk speaking during a press conference at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
"Choi Soon-sil has never boarded a presidential flight," Jung Youn-kuk, presidential spokesman, told reporters. Cheong Wa Dae will take legal steps to demand a correction, he added.
The spokesman repeated a plea for media prudence saying, "Indiscriminate suspicions cause social confusion."
Meanwhile, opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party, have been stepping up their calls for Park to step down as they push to launch a nationwide campaign to oust the embattled president. (Yonhap)
