Prosecutors to investigate Park next week

The scandal has seen Park’s approval ratings plummet to five percent – a record low for any serving South Korean president – with many mocking her for being Choi’s “puppet”.

South Korean prosecutors have notified President Park Geun-hye’s office of their plans to question her over a deepening political scandal involving a longtime confidante, a media report said on Sunday.

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

It will be the first time that a sitting president in South Korea will be questioned by prosecutors.

Ms Park is accused of allowing her friend, Choi Soon-sil, to manipulate power from behind the scenes.

For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

Park has, however, dismissed calls for her resignation.

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

The team, the official said, is waiting for a reply from the president’s executive office Cheong Wa Dae. If she steps down elections must be held within 60 days.

Earlier in November, Park asserted in a televised address to the nation that she was ready to co-operate with the prosecutor’s investigation.

With the president reluctant to resign before her term ends in early 2018, the chances of opposition lawmakers seeking her impeachment are rising, said Choi Chang-ryul, a liberal-arts professor at Yong In University.

Jeong is suspected of bringing secret presidential documents to Choi on a daily basis, while Lee in charge of presidential documents may have connived in the leakage. Organizers said about 1 million protesters took to the streets in Seoul alone, the biggest since the identical number of people protested against the military dictatorship in June, 1987.

The protesters, who included union activists and people from all walks of life, chanted “Park Geun-hye, resign!”

At the same time, prosecutors are also moving forward on their investigation into business tycoons, including Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, who may have succumbed to pressure to donate large sums of money to two government-linked foundations controlled by Choi.

Other chaebol bosses, including Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo and Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho, were questioned last weekend.

Park has dismissed some of her most senior and closest advisers, and former aides have been arrested on charges of abuse of power.