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The office of embattled South Korean President Park Geun-hye has confirmed a mass-purchase of Viagra pills, but said the medication was intended to treat altitude sickness for the president and her staff.
Park’s office has insisted that the purchase had nothing to do with anyone’s erectile dysfunction, and was instead to treat potential altitude sickness that could have been experienced by Park’s presidential aids and staff during the leader’s May trips to Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya – the capitals of which are located thousands of meters above sea level.
“We bought it for the trip but did not use it,” Jung Youn-kuk told reporters on Wednesday.
In recent years, Park’s office has been under scrutiny for other unorthodox purchases. It also bought hundreds of injectable doses of human placenta extract and vitamin shots, both of which are commonly used for detoxification and anti-aging treatment. Jung said the doses were bought for workers at the presidential office, including Park’s bodyguards.
But Park’s purchasing record is far from her biggest worry. The leader is currently engulfed in a scandal in which she and her close friend Choi Soon-sil are accused of colluding to coerce local businesses to donate tens of millions of dollars to questionable non-profit foundations controlled by Choi.
Choi is accused of using some of the donated money for personal gain, while Park is accused of allowing Choi to be involved in state affairs, even nominating top officials and editing the president’s speeches.
Park is facing a criminal probe over the allegations, and a growing number of South Koreans are calling for impeachment. In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to call for her resignation.
Agencies/Canadajournal
