揭秘朴槿惠闺蜜干政事件始末，简言之就是一个女学生炫富引起群众不满，扒皮她老妈，发现这位吃瓜老妈居然是总统闺蜜而且她还操控洗脑着总统。然后这个妇女之所以能够操控总统是因为她爹是邪教的创始人，总统信这个。——来源于微博

What to know about South Korean political scandal

Thousands of South Koreans rallied in Seoul on Saturday demanding the resignation of President Park Geun-hye, as a crisis deepened over allegations[指控;断言] a friend exerted inappropriate influence[施加..影响] over her and interfered in state affairs[干涉国家事务].

The street protest came as prosecutors[检方;起诉人] investigate presidential aides[总统助理/秘书] and other officials to determine whether they broke the law to allow Park’s friend, Choi Soon-sil, to wield undue influence[1] and gain financially.

A look at what we know about the growing political scandal:

►What Park has said

Park acknowledged having close ties to the woman, saying in a nationally televised address Tuesday that Choi helped her “when I had difficulties” in the past.

Park said Choi gave her advice on speeches and public relations issues during the 2012 presidential election campaign and for an unspecified time after Park’s 2013 inauguration[就职典礼]. She didn’t mention the reports about Choi’s corruption scandal[腐败丑闻].

But the president’s acknowledgment that she got some help from Choi appeared to give credence to[证实;相信] widespread media speculation[推测;猜测] that Choi, who doesn’t have any official government post[官方职位], might have pulled strings behind the scenes[在幕后操纵] and interfered in key state affairs[干涉国家要务].

►Why the frenzy has been so big

Stories about Park’s statement Tuesday were on every major newspaper front page and led TV newscasts. Liberal opposition lawmakers demanded resignations from all of Park’s presidential advisers and Cabinet members[内阁成员].

Many South Koreans believe that Park’s acknowledgement is the tip of a much bigger iceberg[2], and that Choi was deeply involved in state affairs behind the scenes.

Park’s statement failed to soothe[3] public anger. In fact, it triggered more questions about Choi’s role in her government. The acknowledgment also seems to feed into long-running criticism that Park doesn’t manage things transparently.

►Who is the woman

Choi and Park reportedly became friends in the mid-1970s because Choi’s late father served as Park’s mentor. At the time, Park was serving as acting first lady after her mother was killed in 1974 by a man trying to assassinate[刺杀;暗杀] her father.

Park’s ties with Choi’s father, Choi Tae-min, and his family have haunted her political career even after his 1994 death. Local media reports described the elder Choi as a cult leader[邪教领袖] who was once a Buddhist monk[佛教中出家修行的男教徒;和尚;僧] and allegedly used his relationship with Park to take bribes[贪赃;受贿] from government officials and businessmen.

The junior Choi is also the ex-wife of a man who served as Park’s chief adviser when she was in the National Assembly[韩国国会] before she became president in February 2013. The man, Chung Yoon Hoe, had worked under Choi Tae-min.

A Japanese newspaper reported that Park was with Chung during a ferry sinking[沉船] in 2014 that killed more than 300 people.

►What it could mean for Park’s presidency

The ongoing scandal will likely hurt Park’s ability to govern and could deepen her lame duck[4] status ahead of next year’s presidential election. Under South Korea’s constitution, Park cannot run for another term.

A lawmaker from the ruling Saenuri Party[新世界党/新国家党] has asked her to leave the conservative party, and political observers say more lawmakers will likely make the same request to try to distance themselves from Park ahead of the 2017 election.

Calls for Park to reshuffle[重组] top officials and quit the ruling party could loosen her grip[5] on state affairs at a time when South Korea faces assorted[各种各样的;混杂的] security and economic problems, including dealing with North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal[核武库], low economic growth and falling exports.

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[1]wield：to hold a weapon or tool and look as if you are going to use it 挥舞，握，抓着（武器或工具）

She was confronted by a man wielding a knife.

她受到一名持刀男子的威胁。

wield influence, power, etc. ：to have a lot of influence or power over other people 施加影响／运用权力等

He still wields enormous influence in politics.

他在党内仍然很有影响。

[2]tip of the iceberg：a small, noticeable part of a problem, the total size of which is really much greater （重大问题的）冰山一角，端倪，明显的一小部分

These small local protests are just the tip of the iceberg.

这些小规模的地方性抗议只是冰山的一角。

[3]soothe [suːð]

to make someone feel calm or less worried 使平静，安慰

to soothe a crying baby

让哭闹的婴儿安静下来

to make a part of the body less painful 减轻，缓解（疼痛）

I had a long, hot bath to soothe my aching muscles.

我洗了个热水澡，泡了很长时间以缓解肌肉的疼痛。

[4]lame duck：an unsuccessful person or thing 不太成功的人（或事物）；无用的人

an elected official whose power is reduced because the person who will replace them has already been elected 即将届满卸任者

政治上，跛脚鸭又称“瘸鸭”，指一个因任期快满而失去政治影响力的公职人员。成为跛脚鸭的原因有：选举中落败；任期届满但不打算连任；任期届满而根据法例不能连任；任期未完，但新官员已选定并等待上任。

[5]loosen your grip：If you loosen your grip on an object, or your grip loosens, you hold something less tightly. 松开，放松（紧握的东西）

He held my hand very tightly at first but gradually his grip loosened.

一开始他紧紧地握着我的手，但后来慢慢地松开了。

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