As the year draws to a close, political dramas unfold across the globe. While the U.S. election has just concluded, the never-ending saga of South Korea's political soap opera has introduced a new twist. Yonhap News Agency reports that media outlets have revealed Park Geun-hye underwent a seven-hour cosmetic surgery procedure on the very day the Sewol ferry sank in 2014.This prompted an immediate response from South Korean authorities. A Blue House spokesperson stepped forward to clarify that the claim was pure "nonsense."
The Sewol ferry disaster occurred two and a half years ago. Carrying 476 passengers, the ferry took on water and sank off the coast of Pyeongpungdo Island, Jindo County, South Jeolla Province, with only 172 survivors.
Recent media reports alleged that on the day of the tragedy, Park Geun-hye was not monitoring the situation from the presidential office but instead underwent a seven-hour cosmetic injection procedure.
In response, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Chung Yeon-guk publicly stated that the reports were "groundless," as confirmed by the President herself.
Chung stated that Park had conducted normal business that day, adding that the Blue House Security Office could verify no external visitors or hospital vehicles had entered the premises on the day of the sinking. He also detailed the specific times Park received 15 accident reports.
Furthermore, the doctor named in the Roadside News report as having performed the cosmetic surgery came forward to confirm he was playing golf in Incheon on the day of the sinking, offering toll receipts as proof of his alibi.
Chung also dismissed claims that Park, who avoids anesthetics, received propofol during the procedure as entirely unfounded.
While this tabloid rumor seems rather far-fetched, the next episode of this Korean drama remains a topic of keen interest among onlookers.