Mixed statements have been made about the relationship between President Park Geun-hye and Chung Yoon-hoi, who allegedly intervened in state affairs as a behind-the-scenes heavyweight. On December 7, at a Cheong Wa Dae luncheon with the leaders of the Saenuri Party, the president said, “Chung left my side a long time ago. I have lost contact with him,” according to those who were present at the luncheon. Park, in particular, directly mentioned Chung‘s name and strongly denied the allegations that he was a secret heavyweight in state affairs.

However, in an interview with the Joongang Daily on December 1, Chung said, “The only contact we’ve had was a phone call from the president after she was elected.” The president‘s remark that the two had lost contact with each other a long time ago and Chung’s claim that they had talked over the phone shortly after the presidential election just two years ago are inconsistent.

If they had contacted each other shortly after the presidential election as Chung claimed, it is unlikely for the president to have forgotten the call. On this issue, Lee Jun-seok, former member of the Saenuri Party‘s emergency committee said on December 4, “Honestly, there are not a lot of people who received phone calls from the president thanking them for their part in the election.”