President Park refutes allegations about her plastic surgery

By Park Sae-jin Posted : November 11, 2016, 14:28 Updated : November 11, 2016, 14:28

[Yonhap News Photo]


South Korea's scandal-stricken President Park Geun-hye flatly refuted allegations that she had received plastic surgery in 2014 when a ferry packed with high-school students sank with the loss of more than 300 lives.

The ill-fated Sewol ferry carrying 476 people sank off the southwest coast on April 16, 2014. A total of 295 bodies were recovered, but nine remained unaccounted.

Park has been dogged by persistent rumors that she was not in her office for seven hours during the disaster. Some unconfirmed reports suggested she received surgery from a plastic surgeon.

"Such reports are false and groundless," presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk said, adding Park flatly refuted allegations that she received plastic surgery at that time.

From 10:30 am (0130 GMT) on that day, Park carried her duty normally in her office, receiving briefings 15 times from aides, the spokesman said, calling for an immediate end to "malicious" and "libelous" reports and allegations.

The spokesman also dismissed reports that Park had met a plastic surgeon surnamed Kim at that time, insisting Kim was known to have played golf in the western city of Incheon.

In a related move, the health ministry ordered a special probe into two high-end clinics to see if they had provided illegal medical services to Park and her longtime friend accused of meddling in state affairs.

The two clinics in Seoul's most affluent district of Gangnam included Chaum, a fancy clinic catering to rich domestic and foreign clients and providing special health care and anti-ageing services under the slogan "Better health, Better beauty".

Park and Choi were among Chaum's regular clients, and a doctor in the clinic is suspected of having served as Park's unofficial archiater after the president took office in early 2013.

The other clinic was not identified, but there have been unconfirmed reports that a plastic surgeon in Gangnam took illicit favors for his cosmetics business in return for frequent skin care treatments for Choi and her family.

Cosmetics manufactured by the plastic surgeon were once selected for a New Year's Day gift set by the president's office and were allowed to enter duty-free stores.

Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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