The South Korean government appeared Friday to be removing traces of President Park Geun-hye’s confidante Choi Soon-sil from its policies by cutting projects associated with her corruption allegations.

The Cultural Prosperity Policy and Creative Korea, two of the key policies steered by the Park administration, were nowhere to be found in the annual report the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism submitted to acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn.

The former, a flagship project aiming to promote the production and consumption of cultural content, has been embroiled in the Choi scandal, due to an allegation the president’s associate had peddled influence in the related industries for personal benefits.

The scandal, currently under investigation, has led to the arrest of a number of key former presidential officials and personal acquaintances of the president, including Choi. It even led to the impeachment of President Park who, upon the Constitutional Court’s decision, may be driven out of her elected position.

Vice Culture Minister Yoo Dong-hun answers reporters’ questions at a briefing on the ministry’s annual business report held at the Seoul Government Complex on Friday (Yonhap)
Vice Culture Minister Yoo Dong-hun answers reporters’ questions at a briefing on the ministry’s annual business report held at the Seoul Government Complex on Friday (Yonhap)

“The term Culture Prosperity, despite its positive connotation, has come to be associated with various suspicions,” said Vice Culture Minister Yoo Dong-hun.

“We feel that the given term could be substituted for other expressions.”

The Creative Korea project, too, came under fire over allegations it was led by a company under the influence of the president’s confidante.

The ministry, while presenting its report Friday, asked reporters to refrain from asking questions on its alleged “blacklist” of anti-government cultural figures and added that it has related countermeasures coming up next month.

The report showed the ministry will be placing priority on preparations for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, while supporting the development of virtual reality and augmented reality content throughout the year.

Plans for the Olympic Games include construction of 12 arenas and facilities for the event, and injecting 30 billion won ($25.2 million) to enhance the competence of national team athletes.

By Yoon Min-sik ()