South Korean Culture Minister Jo Yoon-son resigns after arrest

South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Jo Yoon-son has decided to resign after being arrested on January 21 on charges of creating a 'blacklist' of 10,000 artists who opposed President Park Geun-Hye.

Ms. Jo is the first sitting minister to be arrested in South Korea.

Ms. Cho Yoon-Sun (center) arrives at Seoul Central Court on January 20. (Source: AFP/TTXVN)

The Seoul Central District Court accused her of abuse of power and perjury during questioning by special prosecutors investigating a political scandal involving President Park and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.

Immediately after her arrest, Ms. Jo submitted her resignation and it was accepted by Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn.

According to investigators, the “blacklist” was created after the Sewon ferry disaster in April 2014 and was continuously updated until it reached about 10,000 people, including cultural and artistic figures with anti-government stances, to prevent them from receiving government funding and private investment, and to put them under close state supervision.

Ms. Jo, 50, is a loyal figure to President Park and once held the position of Minister of Gender Equality. She is one of many former senior officials and aides of President Park arrested and questioned in the scandal that is shaking South Korean politics./.

According to Vietnamplus