SK leader ‘colluded’ with suspects
Print Edition
SOUTH Korean prosecutors said yesterday that President Park Geun-hye had colluded with her close confidante in a corruption and influence-peddling scandal that has sparked nationwide protests and calls for Park’s impeachment.
Park’s longtime friend Choi Soon-sil was charged yesterday with coercion and abuse of power, as was one of the president’s former aides. Another aide was charged with leaking confidential state documents.
“The president played a collusive role in a considerable portion of the criminal activities involving the (three) people,” said Lee Young-ryeol, a Seoul prosecutor who is leading an inquiry into the scandal.
Choi, 60, has been accused of using her personal ties to Park to meddle in state affairs and of coercing local firms to “donate” more than US$60 million to dubious non-profit foundations. Choi allegedly then used some of the funds for personal gain.
Park faces allegations that she helped Choi to extract money from the firms and that she ordered her aides to leak state documents to Choi, who has no official title or security clearance.
Under the constitution a sitting president cannot be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason. But she can still be investigated by prosecutors and possibly charged after leaving office.
Lee acknowledged that prosecutors could not formally charge Park at present but pledged to continue to investigate her.
Prosecutors had previously described the conservative leader as a witness to Choi’s crimes but changed her status to that of a criminal suspect, said a senior prosecutor at the investigative team.
“From now on, she will be probed as a suspect ... for violation of Section 30 of the criminal code on collusion,” Roh Seung-kwon told reporters.
Park’s spokesman Jung Youn-kuk rejected the prosecutors’ accusations, describing them as “unfair political attacks” based on “imagination and guesswork.”
Park had earlier promised to answer prosecutors’ questions “sincerely” — a move that would make her the first South Korean president to be quizzed by prosecutors while in office.
But her lawyer Yoo Young-ha said yesterday that Park would not meet prosecutors and would only deal with an independent team of investigators that will soon take over the inquiry.
The latest revelations piled pressure on opposition party lawmakers to seek the impeachment of Park, the daughter of a former president, who has about a year left in her 5-year term.
The main opposition Democratic Party has not seriously pushed for Park’s impeachment due to fears of a backlash from conservative voters before the presidential election next year.
But recent opinion polls suggest growing support for impeachment, with the latest survey showing 74 percent backing.
A growing number of opposition lawmakers are urging their party leaders to seek impeachment, and about 30 members of Park’s own ruling party also voiced support for the move.
More than 50 local firms including Samsung and Hyundai donated a total of 77.4 billion won (US$65.5 million) to the two foundations controlled by Choi.
Many made the donations due to fear of reprisals such as harsh tax audits or difficulties getting regulatory approvals, prosecutor Lee said. He added Choi had also pressured major firms including the carmaker Hyundai and steelmaker Posco to award lucrative contracts to firms linked to her.
One of the aides leaked 180 confidential documents to Choi including papers on foreign policy and the nomination of top officials and cabinet members, according to prosecutors.
The scandal has sent Park’s approval ratings plunging to 5 percent.
The inquiry also shed light on questionable ties between Choi’s family and South Korea’s most powerful business group Samsung, which made the biggest donation to Choi’s foundations. The company is accused of separately offering nearly US$3 million to Choi to bankroll her daughter’s equestrian training in Germany.
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