White House declines comment on Choi Soon-sil scandal

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- The White House declined to comment on the massive corruption scandal involving a long-time confidante of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, only saying that the alliance between the two countries remains "strong and durable." "That's an issue for the South Korean people to discuss and debate, something I wouldn't weigh in on from here," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said at a briefing Tuesday, referring to the scandal rocking South Korea that centers on allegations that the dubious confidante, Choi Soon-sil, exercised huge influence over Park and state affairs and amassed ill-gotten wealth. "My reluctance to weigh in on that I think is an indication of the overriding priority that the Obama administration places on our alliance with the Republic of Korea," Earnest said. He said he became aware of the scandal from reading news reports, but has not spoken to Obama about it. "What I would just reiterate as a general matter is that the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea is strong and durable. And the President has had the opportunity to work closely with President Park. He met with her earlier this fall in Laos to talk about the shared security concerns that we have in that region of the world," Earnest said. "And the two leaders had an opportunity to talk in some detail about our efforts to cooperate to provide for the security of the South Korean people. And that alliance remains strong, and our commitment to that alliance remains strong," he said. jschang@yna.co.kr (END)