South Korea’s President Park faces questioning over corruption scandal

By Yoo Bin Cho
GSS correspondent

SEOUL — Less than two weeks after President Park Geun-Hye was removed from office following all eight constitutional court judges voting in favor of her impeachment, prosecutors summoned Geun-Hye to the public prosecutor’s office in Seoul for 14 hours of questioning in a far-reaching corruption probe, according to Newsis.

Park Geun-Hye faces charges including abuse of authority, coercion, leaks of national secrets, and the accepting of bribes.

A special prosecution force created to delve into the so-called “Choi Soon-Sil Gate” affair linking Park to Choi Soon-Sil, a confidante who allegedly pushed Park to allow her to extort corporate bribes, was disbanded on Feb. 28 following a refusal from Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-An to extend the time allowed for a special investigation.

During the six months leading up to her impeachment on March 10, Park had repeatedly refused to be questioned by the special prosecution force even though she had promised to do so.

As the prosecution office gears up to fully take on possibly the biggest scandal of modern Korean history, pro-Park protests demanding Park’s immediate reestablishment as president of South Korea are still ongoing in areas surrounding the private mansion where she is now living.

—Featured photo: “Growing Corruption in South Korea,” CNN video/screenshot by GSS staff.