SOUTH KOREA TO SEEK ARREST
SEOUL — South Korean prosecutors said Monday that they would seek to arrest disgraced former President Park Geun-hye on multiple charges, including bribery and abuse of authority, related to a widespread corruption investigation.
The prosecutors said they plan to ask a judge here to detain Park pending a formal indictment related to 13 specific allegations, including bribery, abuse of power, coercion and disclosure of confidential information.
“The suspect has used her status as a president to receive money from companies and interfered with the freedom of business management, as well as leaking important confidential material related to the government,” prosecutors in Seoul said.
The arrest, if approved, would be the latest twist in the high-profile corruption investigation that has led to charges against more than two dozen people, including several Park aides and the de facto head of the country’s largest conglomerate, Samsung Group.
The announcement comes less than a week after prosecutors summoned the former president for more than 12 hours of questioning.
The National Assembly impeached Park in December amid allegations that she allowed a confidant to use her influence to extort money from the nation’s largest companies and to access confidential government documents.
A court upheld that vote this month, and Park was removed from office.
The public furor over allegations led to weeks of massive, peaceful street rallies reminiscent of the nation’s transition to a direct presidential democracy in the late 1980s.