Скачать или смотреть Choi Soon-sil Scandal

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Former senior presidential civil affairs secretary Woo Byung-woo has been keeping out of the public eye until recently. He appeared at a parliamentary probe on Thursday where he denied all the accusations against him regarding the Choi Soon-sil scandal. Here’s more.

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In his first public appearance in 46 days, former senior presidential civil affairs secretary Woo Byung-woo denied all the allegations about his involvement in the Choi Soon-sil scandal.

[Soundbite] Woo Byung-woo(Fmr. Presidential Senior Secretary) : "(When did you meet Choi Soon-sil for the first time?) I don't know her. (You still don't know her?) No. I have only seen her in media reports."

Woo immediately rejected the claim that he introduced a prosecution official to help Choi Soon-sil's aide, Cha Eun-taek.

[Soundbite] Noh Seung-il(Fmr. Exec. at K-Sports Foundation) : "Cha Eun-taek's legal assistant is Kim Ki-dong. I heard that you're the one who introduced Kim."

[Soundbite] Woo Byung-woo(Fmr. Presidential Senior Secretary) : "I wish we could ask Cha Eun-taek or Kim Ki-dong personally about this."

Regarding the allegation that he blocked prosecutors from investigating the Sewol ferry tragedy by hampering prosecutors from raiding the Korea Coast Guard offices, Woo said that he just wanted to find out the exact facts of the accident.

[Soundbite] Woo Byung-woo(Fmr. Presidential Senior Secretary) : "I was trying to grasp the situation, to check on the facts."

However, Woo said he regrets that the Choi Soon-sil scandal has led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

[Soundbite] Woo Byung-woo(Fmr. Presidential Senior Secretary) : "I acknowledge that the situation was not handled properly. I'm very sorry for not preventing such cases in advance."

Woo also denied his involvement in letting Choi Soon-sil trespass the presidential office.