SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean prosecutors will question President Park Geun-hye over a political corruption scandal engulfing her presidency, an official said on Sunday, the first time a sitting president will be questioned by prosecutors over a criminal case.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye speaks during an address to the nation, at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Ed Jones/Pool

Hundreds of thousands marched in the capital Seoul on Saturday demanding Park resign. Many protesters said Park, whose public support has dropped to the lowest point ever for a democratically elected South Korean leader at 5 percent, was unfit to rule.

Prosecutors are investigating whether Park exerted improper pressure on “chaebol” conglomerate bosses to raise funds for two foundations at the center of an influence-peddling scandal involving a friend of hers, Yonhap reported on Sunday, citing prosecution sources.

They are also probing Park’s friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is alleged to have used her ties to the president to meddle in state affairs and wield influence in the cultural and sports communities, a prosecutor has previously said.

Prosecutors have already questioned the de facto head of Samsung Group SAGR.UL Jay Y. Lee and the chairmen of Hyundai Motor Group (005380.KS) and Hanjin Group HANJ.UL over the scandal, media reports said on Sunday.

“It’s correct we’re planning to question the president but the date is undecided,” an official at the prosecutors’ office told Reuters.

Yonhap news agency quoted a prosecution official as saying Park’s questioning should be done no later than Wednesday.

“Questioning people face-to-face is our principle,” the official said. Park will appear before prosecutors as a witness, Yonhap reported.

Park’s office said it would be Tuesday at the earliest before it will have a position on the prosecutors’ plan and was considering retaining a lawyer for the president.

While some previous South Korean presidents have been mired in scandals or allegations of wrongdoing involving family members during their terms, none were directly questioned by prosecutors while they were in office.

The prosecution office official confirmed the chairman of Hyundai Motor, Chung Mong-koo, was questioned on Saturday but declined to confirm whether the other chaebol bosses had met prosecutors.

A Korean Air Lines (003490.KS) spokesman confirmed that Cho Yang-ho, who is chairman of Hanjin and South Korea’s largest airline, had appeared for questioning but did not elaborate further.

A Hyundai Motor spokesman declined to comment and Samsung Group could not immediately confirm the reports of prosecutors questioning their respective officials.

Park faces intense pressure from the public and parliament to step down over the scandal, but the main opposition parties have not raised the possibility of initiating impeachment proceedings.

The presidential office said earlier on Sunday that Park was “earnestly considering ways to normalize state affairs” and that she had “heard the voices of the people at the rally”.

Slideshow (6 Images)

Park has said she had discussed with conglomerate heads in July last year her desire for them to contribute more for culture without elaborating.

South Korean prosecutors raided Samsung Electronics last week as part of the probe over the scandal and whether the company separately gave millions of euros to a company controlled by Choi and her daughter.

(This story was refiled with full name of Hanjin chairman in paragraph 12) </s> SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — South Korean prosecutors are likely to question President Park Geun-hye over suspicion that she let a shadowy longtime confidante manipulate power from behind the scenes, state-run Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.

If would be the first time that a sitting president has been questioned by prosecutors. The explosive scandal is the most serious challenge for Park, whose public apologies have done little to calm public anger.

Yonhap quoted a Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office official as saying that the questioning is most likely to take place later this week. The official was not named.

Yonhap Korean-language service quoted an unidentified prosecution official as saying prosecutors want to question Park face-to-face on either Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. The report said that prosecutors conveyed their position to Park's office and were awaiting a response.

In addition to allegedly manipulating power, the president's confidante, Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a late cult leader who emerged as Park's mentor in the 1970s, is also suspected of exploiting her presidential ties to bully companies into donating tens of millions of dollars to foundations she controlled.

Choi was formally arrested on Nov. 3 on charges of fraud and abuse of power. Prosecutors have until Nov. 20 to formally charge her.

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded Seoul's streets to demand Park's resignation in what may be South Korea's largest protest since it shook off dictatorship three decades ago.

In an attempt to stabilize the situation, Park said Tuesday that she would let the opposition-controlled parliament choose her prime minister. But opposition parties say her words are meaningless without specific promises about transferring much of her presidential powers to a new No. 2.

Under South Korean law, the president has immunity from prosecution except in cases of treason, but she can be investigated.

Park has 15 months left in her term. If she steps down before the end of it, an election must be held within 60 days. </s> Three people with ties to South Korean President Park Geun-hye have been indicted for their role in a political corruption scandal. Park, however, will not be charged because of a law that makes the president immune from prosecution.

South Korean prosecutors announced Saturday there was enough evidence charge Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president, and former aides An Chong-bum and Chung Ho-sung.

Lee Young-ryol, the prosecutor who led the corruption probe, said Choi and An are being charged with abuse of power, fraud and coercion. Chung faces charges related to leaking classified documents to Choi through email, phone and fax.

"Park cannot be charged with any 'crime' as a sitting president in accordance with Korean constitution but prosecutors will continue to investigate Park Geun-hye," Lee said.

According to the South Korean constitution, the president cannot be charged with a crime while holding office except for insurrection or treason. </s> Story highlights President Park will be the first sitting South Korean leader to be investigated

A confidante and two former aides of Park's face corruption charges

(CNN) South Korean President Park Geun-hye will be investigated "as a suspect" in a growing political corruption scandal, prosecutors said on Sunday, as three people with ties to Park were officially indicted.

But whatever their findings, Park will not be charged due to a law that makes the president immune from prosecution.

South Korean prosecutors announced Sunday there was enough evidence charge Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president, and former aides An Chong-bum and Chung Ho-sung.

Lee Young-ryol, the prosecutor who led the corruption probe, said Choi and An are being charged with abuse of power, fraud and coercion. Chung faces charges related to leaking classified documents to Choi through email, phone and fax.

"Park cannot be charged with any 'crime' as a sitting president in accordance with Korean constitution but prosecutors will continue to investigate Park Geun-hye," Lee said.

Read More </s> SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors are likely to question President Park Geun-hye this week over suspicion that she let a shadowy longtime confidante manipulate power from behind the scenes, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.

If would be the first time that a sitting president has been questioned by prosecutors. The explosive scandal is the most serious challenge for Park, whose public apologies have done little to calm public anger.

Yonhap’s Korean-language service quoted an unidentified prosecution official as saying prosecutors want to question Park face-to-face on either Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. The report said that prosecutors conveyed their position to Park’s office and were awaiting a response.

The president’s office had no immediate comment on the report.

In addition to allegedly manipulating power, the president’s confidante, Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a late cult leader who emerged as Park’s mentor in the 1970s, is also suspected of exploiting her presidential ties to bully companies into donating tens of millions of dollars to foundations she controlled.

Choi was formally arrested on Nov. 3 on charges of fraud and abuse of power. Prosecutors have until Nov. 20 to formally charge her.

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people flooded Seoul’s streets to demand Park’s resignation in what may be South Korea’s largest protest since it shook off dictatorship three decades ago.

In an attempt to stabilize the situation, Park said Tuesday that she would let the opposition-controlled parliament choose her prime minister. But opposition parties say her words are meaningless without specific promises about transferring much of her presidential powers to a new No. 2.

Under South Korean law, the president has immunity from prosecution except in cases of treason, but she can be investigated.

Park has 15 months left in her term. If she steps down before the end of it, an election must be held within 60 days. </s> South Korean President Park Geun-hye's choice for prime minister says Park can be the subject of the ongoing investigation into a snowballing influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime friend.

The comments by Kim Byong-joon Thursday came as opposition lawmakers are stepping up their demands that prosecutors directly investigate Park to get to the bottom of the scandal.

South Korean media speculate Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, pulled government affairs from the shadows and pushed businesses to donate millions of dollars to two foundations that she controlled.

Kim told a televised conference that he thinks it's possible to have Park investigated. He says there are different interpretations of a constitution provision that grants sitting presidents immunity from criminal lawsuits.

But he says the procedures and methods of any such probe of the head of state must be carefully done.

South Korean prosecutors have detained a former senior aide of President Park Geun-hye as they widen their investigations into a snowballing political scandal on whether the president's longtime friend was pulling government strings from the shadows.

Ahn Jong-beom is the second person detained over the scandal that has triggered mounting calls for Park's resignation. Earlier this week, prosecutors detained Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, and requested an arrest warrant for her.

South Korean media speculate Choi, who has no government position, made policy recommendations for Park and pushed businesses to donate millions of dollars to two foundations she controlled.

A Seoul prosecution office said Thursday it has detained Ahn while questioning him over his alleged involvement in extracting $70 million of company donations.

Prosecutors have to determine whether to seek an arrest warrant for Ahn or release him by Friday. </s> SEOUL: South Korea's ousted President Park Geun-hye was arrested on Friday (Mar 31) over the corruption and abuse of power scandal that brought her down, a court spokesman said.

The Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant to arrest Park on charges of bribery, abuse of authority, coercion, and leaking government secrets, after a marathon court hearing the previous day. </s> South Korean authorities on Friday arrested former President Park Geun-hye in connection with the corruption investigation that led to her ouster, saying she abused her office and participated in a bribery scheme involving at least one of the nation’s largest companies.

The scandal-marred former leader — the daughter of an iconic former South Korean military dictator — already has been impeached, removed from office and stripped of public support. She now will lose her freedom as prosecutors seek a formal indictment in the next 20 days.

The decision to jail Park resulted from an eight-hour court hearing in Seoul on Thursday after which a judge determined that the evidence compiled by prosecutors in recent months warranted detention, authorities said.

The court made its decision early Friday morning local time. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Park looked “grim-faced” as she was sent to an unidentified detention facility. Court officials had said previously that, if arrested, Park would be taken to a detention center in southern Seoul — the same jail where many others arrested in connection with the case are held pending trial.

Neither prosecutors nor her defense lawyers were immediately available for comment after the court’s decision.

On Thursday morning, Park, looking stern and dressed in a dark blue suit, had arrived at the Seoul Central District Court complex for the hearing. She entered through the same door as everyday defendants, but her arrival included an array of cameras. She offered no statement.

Last week, before being questioned at length by prosecutors, she flashed a respectful smile as she entered an adjacent building in the justice complex. “I feel apologetic toward the nation’s citizens,” she said then. “I’ll cooperate in the questioning sincerely.”

Her arrest is the latest dramatic twist in a national saga that began unfolding in October when a South Korean news report revealed that Park allowed a friend outside the government to edit her speeches. The case since has ensnared more than two dozen people.

After the report, the case quickly snowballed. In recent months, two sets of prosecutors have pursued Park during what evolved into a sprawling public corruption investigation that has gripped the nation. It has altered presidential politics here, with the potential to change the country’s relationship with its neighbors and the United States — and prompted historic street rallies not seen since the pro-democracy movement in the late 1980s.

A presidential election to replace Park is set for May 9, and political analysts say the scandal could end nearly a decade of control by the ousted president’s former ruling conservative party.

The National Assembly already had impeached Park, but she remained protected by presidential immunity until a constitutional court validated that decision on March 10, making her a civilian. Park then moved back to her home in Seoul’s trendy Gangnam district. Soon after, prosecutors made their move.

The first step was getting Park to sit for questions last week, and prosecutors said the former president denied most of the criminal allegations. Then, earlier this week, they sought to detain the former president in an effort to prevent what they worried could be the destruction of evidence — and to show that the disgraced leader would be treated just like numerous other South Koreans who’ve been swept up and jailed in the investigation.

Those charged include a close confidant at the center of the case, as well as several of her top aides and the de facto leader on the nation’s largest conglomerate, Samsung Group. Other corporate titans also have faced related scrutiny in recent weeks.

The case centers on Park’s friendship — dating back to the days of her father’s tenure in the 1960s and ’70s — with Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a deceased South Korean cult leader. Prosecutors have said that Choi, who had no government position, used her clout with Park to receive millions of dollars in payments from the nation’s top companies to firms she controlled.

They allege that Park was complicit in the scheme and that she directed aides to find official ways to reward the donors. In one case, authorities have said that Samsung’s de facto leader, Lee Jae-yong, directed funds to Choi and received presidential support for a controversial merger. He remains jailed, and the company has denied any wrongdoing.

Lee Hu Seop, a Seoul resident, was among the South Koreans who attended the candlelight vigils by the hundreds of thousands calling for Park’s ouster, week after week, since last fall. He said the criminal turn in Park’s case this week could help lead to a heightened sense of justice in the country, which has a history of collusion between government and businesses and a culture that favors elites.

“I believe that symbolically the candles beat government authority,” said Lee, 32 of the street rallies, some of which stretched more than a mile across a wide central thoroughfare in Seoul. “It was a terrible incident, but the younger generation was able to take more interest in politics. I hope that the next president rebuilds the system.”

The arrest makes Park the third former president to be jailed in connection with criminal wrongdoing since the country began allowing direct elections of presidents in the late 1980s. Another former president committed suicide in 2009 after questioning by prosecutors and scrutiny of his family.

Park is the daughter of Park Chung-hee, a former South Korean general who ran the country as a strongman dictator. He is credited with starting the country’s transition from a poor, agrarian society in the decade after the Korean War to the export-driven economic success it is today.

Park Chung-hee’s spy chief assassinated him in 1979, five years after his wife and Park Geun-hye’s mother, Yuk Young-soo, was killed in a botched attempt on his life — an event that brought Park back to South Korea from school in Europe as a young woman.

After her mother’s death, the younger Park served essentially as acting first lady and helped her father host dignitaries in the presidential complex, known as the Blue House for its distinctly colored roof. She returned there in 2013 after winning the election, only to see her presidency begin to unravel last fall — as it has for other leaders and their families over the years.

“Many Korean ex-presidents have been indicted, arrested and even convicted,” said David Kang, an international relations professor at USC who directs the university’s Korean Studies Institute. “However, it is a tragic next chapter to a tragic life.” </s> South Korean prosecutors have arrested a former aide of President Park Geun-hye considered a central figure to an influence-peddling scandal, Yonhap News Agency said on Friday.

Jeong Ho-seong was arrested on Thursday night suspected of leaking confidential documents to Choi Soon-sil, a long-time friend of Park at the center of the scandal.

South Korean prosecutors did not immediately comment on the report.
A South Korean official says prosecutors will question President Park Geun-hye, no later than Wednesday, about the political corruption scandal. This will be the first time a sitting president is questioned by prosecutors in a criminal case.