South Korea: President Park’s friend, former aides indicted in corruption probe

(File) Protesters wearing cut-outs of South Korean President Park Geun-hye (right) and Choi Soon-sil attend a protest denouncing Park over a recent influence-peddling scandal in central Seoul, South Korea in October. Pic: Reuters.

20th November 2016

SOUTH Korean prosecutors said Sunday they had formally indicted a friend of President Park Geun-hye and two former aides in a corruption scandal engulfing her administration.

Choi Soon-sil, Park’s friend, and former presidential aide An Chong-bum are charged with abuse of power in pressuring conglomerates to contribute funds to foundations at the center of the scandal, said Lee Young-ryeol, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

Lee added that his team believed Park had an accomplice role in the case but said she cannot be indicted because she has constitutional immunity.

“We will continue to investigate the president,” Lee told reporters.

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South Korea’s presidential Blue House did not have an immediate comment.

The indictments had been expected. Choi is accused of working with An to exert improper pressure on dozens of the country’s biggest conglomerates to help raise 77.4 billion won (US$65.59 million) on behalf of two non-profit foundations, according to the prosecutors.

Park’s presidency has been rocked by allegations that Choi used her ties to the president to meddle in state affairs and wield improper influence, but she has resisted calls to resign.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday in the fourth straight weekend of protests against her.

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Prosecutors also indicted a second former presidential aide, Jeong Ho-seong, with leaking classified information to Choi.

An and Jeong both stepped down late last month as the crisis deepened.

Park has pledged to cooperate in the investigation but pushed back on the prosecutors’ plan to question her last week.

South Korea’s parliament has approved a bill to appoint a special prosecutor, who will conduct a separate and a more wide-reaching probe. – Reuters