Grilling time
South Korea’s ousted leader Park Geun- hye arrives at a prosecutor’s office in Seoul on Tuesday. Park reported to prosecutors for questioning over the corruption and abuse of power scandal that brought her down, after using executive privilege to avoid them for months while in office
Ousted South Korean president Park Geunhye apologized to the country on Tuesday as she arrived at prosecutors’ offices for questioning as a criminal suspect in a corruption scandal that has gripped the country for months.
Park, 65, became South Korea’s first democratically elected president to be removed from office when the Constitutional Court this month upheld her impeachment by parliament in December.
She has been accused of colluding with a friend, Choi Soon- sil, to pressure big busi- nesses to donate to two foundations that backed her policy initiatives. Park and Choi have both denied wrongdoing.
“I am sorry to the people. I will faithfully cooperate with questioning,” Park said in front of media at the steps of the prosecutors’ office building, her first comments directly to the public since she was dismissed.
Park has not been charged but could face more than 10 years in jail if convicted of receiving bribes from bosses of big conglomerates, including Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee, in return for favors.
After about five hours of questioning, an official from the prosecutors’ office told reporters Park had been forthcoming but he declined to elaborate on what she had been asked, on her responses or on what charges she might face.
Hundreds of Park’s flag- waving supporters gathered outside her home in Seoul’s upmarket Gangnam district to see her off, and later gathered outside the prosecution office.