[Newsmaker] ‘King of secretaries’ fends off onslaught

President Park Geun-hye’s former Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon appeared poised and prepared, flatly denying a string of allegations lawmakers made over his role in the Choi Soon-sil scandal throughout the second public hearing Wednesday.

Unlike other testifiers, the 77-year-old showed no emotion, even when an opposition legislator called him an “eel” for his constant, astute evasion of tricky questions, and another said he would not to go heaven when he dies. Unscathed, Kim repeated he was sorry, could not remember or did not know.

A master of ideological tension and media manipulation, the former prosecutor general, justice minister and three-term lawmaker had earned the nickname “the king of secretaries” while serving Park for about one year and a half until February 2015. 

None of his predecessors, successors or any other senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae could beat Kim in reading the secluded president’s thoughts and wishes, sources say. Now critics are suggesting this was thanks to behind-the-scene discussions with Choi, whom Park relied deeply on for various state affairs, though he rejects the claim.

Among the 14 witnesses attended, Kim drew most questions from both ruling and opposition lawmakers. But he refuted most of them or said he was not aware, apparently being watchful of an upcoming probe of an independent counsel that would designate him as a suspect.

They argued Kim, then the chief of staff, had allowed or assisted Choi to interfere with high-level appointments at the Culture Ministry and the operations of the horseback riding sector in the run-up to the launch of two culture and sports foundations which effectively served as Choi’s slush funds.

Kim said he does not know Choi and has no involvement in the issues.

He also took flak for failing to grasp Park’s whereabouts for seven hours on the day of the Sewol ferry sinking in April 2014.

The Hankyoreh daily reported Tuesday that the president spent 90 minutes doing her hair before visiting the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, while more than 300 people, most of them high school students, were drowning inside the ship. Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday acknowledged the visit of stylists that day but argued it took only 20 minutes.

“I am extremely ashamed and sorry for letting this disaster happen because I failed to advise the president properly,” Kim said, when given time to comment on the seven missing hours.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)