Park’s first grilling lasts 14 hours

Ex-South Korean President apologises to public, denies all charges before prosecutors

Seoul, March 21: South Korea’s ousted President Park Geun-Hye was questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday about the corruption and abuse of power scandal that brought her down, after using executive privilege to avoid them for months while in office.

Ms Park was interrogated for 14 hours before prosecutors finally finished their questioning, Yonhap news agency reported.

Ms Park denied all charges during the questioning, Yonhap said citing sources, adding that prosecutors declined to confirm this.

The nation’s first female President, whose dismissal was confirmed by South Korea’s top court earlier this month, apologised to the public as she arrived at the prosecutors’ office in Seoul, adding, “I will undergo the investigation sincerely.”

She was impeached by Parliament in December as millions took to the streets to demand her removal over the sprawling scandal, which has exposed the links between politics and business in Asia’s fourthlargest economy.

As a private citizen once again, Ms Park’s convoy drove at walking pace through crowds of flagwaving supporters lining the street outside her home — some of them lying on the pavement to try to block her exit before she left.

Every inch of the journey was covered live on television, with cameramen trailing the vehicles in cars and on motorcycles and at fixed points along the route.

Questioning by prosecutors is a key step in South Korea’s judicial process before a suspect is charged. It can be repeated if officials deem it necessary.

Ms Park faced two prosecutors and an investigator and was accompanied by one of her lawyers, but standard procedure bars him from interjecting, only allowing consultations during rest breaks.

The 65-year-old has a reputation for fastidiousness and as President reportedly refused to use toilets that had been employed by others.

She had a packed lunch of seaweed rice rolls and sandwiches brought by one of her security guards, Yonhap said.

“She has been cooperating well,” it quoted a prosecutor as saying.

The interrogators were addressing her as “Madam President”, he added, but in the transcript she was referred to as “suspect”.

Park faces multiple charges ranging from abuse of power and coercion to bribery. She is the fourth former South Korean leader to be probed or jailed over corruption scandals.

Two former army-backed leaders who served in the 1980s to 1990s — Chun DooHwan and Roh Tae-Woo — served prison terms for bribery after they stepped down. Roh Moo-Hyun, who served from 2003 to 2008, killed himself by jumping off a cliff after being probed by prosecutors over corruption allegations in 2009. —AFP