South Korean Presidential Office Bought Viagra for ‘Altitude Sickness’

A scandal over South Korean President Park Geun Hye’s shadowy confidante took an even more weird turn Wednesday when Ms Park’s office was forced to explain a mass purchase of Viagra.

Cheong Wa Dae has made no changes in its stance that Park had only received Choi’s advice on her presidential speeches and was involved in projects conducted by the Mir and K-Sports foundations but only within the extent of managing state affairs. Park’s prime minister, the No. 2 position in the government, would take over her presidential responsibilities, including her role as commander of chief for South Korea’s 630,000-member military, which faces a standoff with nuclear-armed North Korea. Choi’s ex-husband is also a former close aide of Park’s.

The court overturned the impeachment of then-President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004, restoring him to power.

She held a previously arranged summit with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on November 10 but has not had a public event outside the Blue House since November 8, when she visited parliament offering to relinquish some of her powers in office to placate lawmakers.

Prosecutors visited the group’s Future Strategy Office, which oversees key business decisions, the Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korea has erupted in protest at the scandal and accused Park of corruption and breaching the trust of the nation.

The crisis has led to many demonstrations, the most prominent of which being in the capital Seoul.

In recent weeks, protesters have poured into the streets of Seoul demanding the resignation of the tainted leader. Kim took office 16 months ago and Choi joined the presidential aide team late last month. Park’s approval ratings have plummeted to 5 percent, the lowest in the history of South Korea.

She said that she would help the country repeat the so-called “Miracle on the Han River”-a reference to the rapid economic development seen under her father’s presidency”.

How will this drama continue to unfold in South Korea? South Korean media said opposition parties, left-leaning independents and anti-Park lawmakers in her own ruling Saenuri Party can band together for more than 200 seats.

Park is facing growing calls to resign over a scandal that critics say has undermined the country’s democracy. As long as she remains president, she remains immune to prosecution on charges of corruption.

However, John Delury, an expert on Korean affairs at Yonsei University, told CNN that Ban’s close association with Park’s political party and his outsider status could be a disadvantage.

An impeachment motion requires at least half of the parliament to start and needs a two-thirds majority to pass.

Impeachment could also backfire for current liberals.