Philip Choi unexpectedly resigned as chairman of the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation a couple of days ago. He resigned on the inauguration day of President Park Geun-hye, and it appears he had painstakingly considered the timing of his resignation.

Opposition parties and civic groups had pressured Choi to resign ever since news that he had discussed selling 30% of the shares in MBC, which the foundation owns, with the MBC board of directors last October was disclosed.

Nevertheless, he had put off his resignation. If the delay was caused by his concern that he would unwillingly trouble the political circle as he had mentioned, then it was an expression of his famous loyalty to the Parks, father and daughter presidents.

Chairman Philip Choi announced his resignation in a statement he faxed to the press through the Busan Ilbo under the title, "Honorable Citizens and Members of the Press" on February 25. The photo shows Chairman Philip Choi.

As a symbolic figure linking the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation to President Park steps down, the issue surrounding the foundation will enter a new phase. At first sight, the issue seems complicated, but returning "stolen" assets owned by the foundation lies at the center of the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation issue.

We have confirmed through various routes circumstantial evidence that the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation was established after the government seized Kim Ji-tae's Buil Scholarship Foundation. In July 2005, the National Intelligence Service's truth committee announced, "The Park Chung-hee regime forced the donation [of the foundation] through the Central Intelligence Agency."

In May 2007, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission under the president also confirmed this fact. In February 2012, the Seoul Central District Court did not side with the bereaved family, who requested the return of stocks, because of the statute of limitations, but acknowledged that the donation of the foundation was coerced.

However, President Park Geun-hye, a major figure involved in this issue has never admitted the fact that the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation was politically stolen property. In July 2007, when Park, chairman of the Saenuri Party's emergency committee at the time, attended a hearing to verify her qualification as a presidential candidate, she said she could not agree to allegations that the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation was seized by the government.

In October 2012, she said, "I have nothing to do with the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation issue. It's none of my business." It's difficult to agree with her views. She had received a hefty salary as the chairman of the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation for ten years from 1995. The whole world knows what a "loyal subject" Philip Choi has been since the Park Chung-hee regime.

Now, the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation issue awaits a political solution. A lawsuit by the bereaved family requesting the return of their assets is pending in court, but this problem was, from the start, above the law and political. President Park stressed that the "miracle on the Han River" was a proud legacy left by her father in her inaugural address.

However, a "legacy of burden" such as coerced donations clearly exists. If President Park refuses to face these problems, the hope that the people have placed on the new politics will dramatically fade. An opportunity has sprouted to settle the controversy surrounding the Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation. President Park is the person for the job.