Prosecutors to question ousted Park

SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors said yesterday they plan to question ousted President Park Geun-hye next week over a corruption scandal that removed her from office, as the government announced that an election will be held on May 9 to pick her successor.

Prosecutors said they told Ms Park’s lawyer they’ll summon her next Tuesday as a suspect in the scandal. Ms Park’s lawyer later said Ms Park would “faithfully” undergo the questioning, according to a Seoul prosecutors’ office.

Ms Park could also face extortion, bribery and other criminal charges, but she has denied any legal wrongdoing and expressed defiance toward her corruption allegations.

By law, a national vote to find her successor must be held within two months of Friday’s court ruling, and the Ministry of Interior said yesterday that May 9 would be the election date.

Moon Jae-in, a liberal opposition leader who lost the 2012 presidential election to Ms Park, is the favourite to be the country’s next leader in opinion surveys. His campaign got a boost yesterday when Prime Minister and acting leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, considered the potential leading conservative challenger to Mr Moon, said he won’t run.

Mr Hwang told a Cabinet meeting he decided to focus on managing state affairs and resolving political and economic uncertainties triggered by Ms Park’s ouster until a new president is elected. Mr Hwang would have been forced to resign and let a deputy prime minister serve as another interim leader if he had run.

Meanwhile, an animal rights group has accused Ms Park of abandoning her pets after she left nine dogs at the presidential palace when she returned to her private home. A spokesman from the Blue House said yesterday the dogs will stay at the palace until they are ready to be sent to new owners. It’s unclear whether Ms Park’s refusal to keep the dogs qualifies as abandonment under animal protection law.