Emergency arrest of close friend of South Korean President

Yonhap news agency reported that Choi Soon Sil - a close friend of President Park Geun Hye - was arrested late on October 31 after she arrived at the Seoul prosecutor's office upon summons.

Ms. Choi Soon Sil surrounded by reporters when arriving at the prosecutor's office - Photo: Reuters

Reuters reported that prosecutors are investigating allegations that Choi Soon Sil used her friendship with President Park to interfere in government affairs and benefit through a non-profit organization.

Yonhap quoted a prosecutor as saying that because they were worried that Ms. Choi might risk flying out of South Korea and possibly destroy evidence, they took her into emergency custody without an arrest warrant.

Choi is currently in a Seoul prison. Under South Korean law, a suspect can be detained without a warrant for up to 48 hours.

In her first public appearance since returning home, Choi Soon-sil begged for forgiveness on October 31 as she arrived at the national prosecutor's office following a summons.

"I have committed an unforgivable sin. Please forgive me," Choi told reporters before entering the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to be questioned on charges of interfering in government affairs and using her connections to influence others.

Yonhap news agency said Ms. Choi, a close friend of President Park Geun Hye, flew from England to South Korea on the morning of October 30.

Choi's lawyer, Lee Kyung Jae, said he had asked investigators to postpone the summons for Choi for a day so she could rest after spending many hours on the plane and being in poor health.

Asked whether Choi, 60, was admitting her crimes by asking for forgiveness, lawyer Lee said his client was only expressing her emotions and not talking about her legal status.

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Times on October 31, former senior economic adviser to President Park, Ahn Jong Beom, was caught trying to influence a witness to testify in the Choi case before prosecutors questioned him.

Mr. Ahn tried to contact former K-Sports Foundation secretary-general Jung Hyun Sik through his wife on October 24 but was rejected by Mr. Jung.

A day before Mr. Jung was questioned, on October 26, Mr. Ahn also used a phone registered under a borrowed name to send a direct message to Mr. Jung.

Local newspaper Hankyoreh said that in a recent interview with the newspaper, Mr. Jung revealed the above information.

Mr Jung asserted that the real owner of the fund was Ms Choi Soon Sil and he decided to go public because "things were getting out of control" and "this would bring the case to justice".

In addition, Reuters reported that police arrested an unidentified man who dumped a container of animal feces at the prosecutor's office shortly after Choi entered and asked prosecutors to thoroughly investigate the incident.

According to Tuoi Tre