“I’m sorry to address you under these circumstances, as I’ve always held press conferences for good news.”
Korean golf legend Pak Se-ri, director of the Seri Pak Hope Foundation, shed tears during a press conference about her father’s indictment. The foundation filed a complaint against Pak Se-ri’s father, Pak Joon-chul, in September last year for forging documents. The police recently forwarded the case to the prosecution, revealing a troubling situation in the father-daughter relationship.
Pak Joon-chul allegedly forged the foundation’s seal while attempting to participate in the Saemangeum marine leisure complex development project. Upon discovering the forgery, the foundation filed a complaint. The foundation’s legal representative, Kim Kyung-hyun, emphasized, “The Seri Pak Hope Foundation is unrelated to Pak Joon-chul. He has never held any position or performed any duties for the foundation. We have no plans to work with him in the future.” Kim also said, “We became aware of the forged documents from the Saemangeum Development Authority. We convened a board meeting and filed a lawsuit with Daejeon Yuseong Police.” He further highlighted the disparities between the forged and genuine corporate seals, visibly evident even to the naked eye.
It was revealed that Pak’s father used a secretly manufactured corporate seal for his involvement proposal from an international golf school establishment. The Saemangeum project, slated to open in October this year, faced delays due to the submission of forged documents by Pak senior. When asked if the lawsuit against her father was related to family disputes, Pak responded, “It cannot be completely unrelated.”
During the peak of her career, Pak Se-ri achieved 25 wins on the U.S. LPGA Tour, becoming a mythical figure in Korean golf. At that time, golf tournaments and events in Korea sought her participation eagerly. In most cases, if her father decided on the specifics of a contract, she would adhere to his decisions. This dynamic changed when Pak Se-ri co-founded Baz International, a golf education content company, with an acquaintance in 2019.
“Since retiring, I have been actively managing my company under my authority,” Pak explained. “All actions taken by the foundation require my approval and seal.” She acknowledged that the scale of her responsibilities had become overwhelming, adding, “Some aspects of the recent incident have been reported accurately, but there are also inaccuracies, which is why I am here to clarify.”
When asked if communication with her father had long been severed, Pak confirmed, “Yes.” She added, “These issues didn’t suddenly arise. They’ve been ongoing for a long time.” During the press conference, she shed tears, saying, “I didn’t expect to cry. Although the lawsuit was filed by the foundation, as the director, I felt it was necessary to proceed to separate personal matters from official duties.” She continued, “I informed the board about the seriousness of the situation first and suggested that filing the lawsuit was the right thing to do. That was my duty as the foundation’s director.” The foundation reportedly addressed this issue last year and obtained the board’s agreement to hold Pak Joon-chul legally accountable.
