PARK QUESTIONED FOR 14 HOURS
Ousted S. Korean leader says she’s sorry, will cooperate in probe
SEOUL
SFather of ‘Sewol’ ferry disaster victim
OUTH Korea’s just-ousted president returned home early yesterday after being grilled by prosecutors in a long-awaited investigation of corruption allegations that ended her rule and now threaten to put her in jail.
The questioning of Park Geunhye came 11 days after the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled to dismiss her over suspicions she colluded with a confidante to extort money from businesses and committed other wrongdoings. Her powers had been suspended since she was impeached by parliament in December.
“I am sorry to the people. I will sincerely undergo an investigation,” Park said when she arrived at the prosecutors’ office on Tuesday.
Park’s questioning lasted 14 hours and ended just before midnight. She spent about seven more hours at the prosecutors’ office reviewing their report to check whether they accurately described her testimony.
When she left the prosecutors’ office and got into a black sedan waiting for her, Park didn’t make any comments to reporters. But when she arrived at her home in southern Seoul, live TV footage showed Park smiling, talking to ruling party lawmakers and giving a nod in gestures of greetings
THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017 several times for dozens of flagwaving supporters who lined up streets leading up to her residence.
In Park’s questioning, prosecutors tried to determine whether to seek an arrest warrant, according to South Korean media. Many other suspects implicated in the scandal have already been arrested, including Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil, some top government officials and Samsung Women flashing the victory sign in front of a bonfire as Turkish Kurds gather during Newroz celebrations for the new year in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on Tuesday. Newroz, also known as Nawroz or Nowruz, is an ancient Persian festival, which is also celebrated by Kurdish people, marking the first day of spring, which falls on March 21. heir Lee Jae-yong.
Prosecutors have previously accused Park of extortion, bribery and abuse of power, which could theoretically carry penalties of up to life imprisonment. But arresting Park would be a delicate matter because it might aggravate a national divide and create a strong conservative backlash ahead of an election in May to choose her successor, some political experts said. AP