Photo: Park Geun-hye's new memoir, Past the Darkness to the Future. Credit: JoongAng Books.
In her first public appearance since completing her prison term, former president Park Geun-hye 박근혜 held a book talk for her memoir, Past the Darkness to the Future 어둠을 지나 미래로. The two-volume memoir covers the decade from 2012 to 2022, from her victory in the presidential election to her release from prison after a pardon from Moon Jae-in 문재인, who succeeded Park after she was impeached and removed from office.
The disgraced former president struck a defiant note at her talk, claiming that she “stood proudly before the people, because though I may have made small mistakes, I have never done anything shameful.” As to the bizarre scandal involving the daughter of a shaman who ran a shadow cabinet during Park’s presidency, Park said: “I let the people down because I failed to manage those who were close to me.” The former president vowed not to return to politics, but said: “The work of my administration is still unfinished, and I do wish someone would pick up that torch.”