Three years ago, she was hailed as South Korea’s saviour after becoming its first female president and adopting a tough stance on the North’s brutal dictator, Kim Jong-un.

But the reputation of President Park Geun-hye lay in tatters this week after she was plunged into a murky political scandal involving shadowy advisers, nepotism claims and even whispers of a sinister religious sect.

At the centre of the outcry is Choi Soon-sil, a mysterious female friend of the president who has been unmasked as her secret confidante.

The 60-year-old is said to have influenced Ms Park in private on everything from her wardrobe to her strategy on tackling the North Korean regime.

She is also accused of forming an exclusive clique of unofficial advisers called “the eight fairies”, which has enjoyed extensive access to the president.

Her father, Choi Tae-min, was well known in South Korea as the head of a cult-like religious group until his death in 1994.