SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Despite her immunity from prosecution, investigators can look into South Korea’s president over a scandal that centers on whether her longtime friend controlled the government from the shadows, the prime minister-designate said Thursday.

The comments by Kim Byong-joon, who President Park Geun-hye nominated amid rising public anger, came as opposition lawmakers and activists stepped up demands for prosecutors to directly investigate Park to get to the bottom of a scandal that has plunged the country into political turmoil. One recent opinion survey showed Park’s approval rating at about 9 percent.

South Korean media speculate that Park’s friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is not officially in the government, manipulated government affairs and pushed businesses to donate millions of dollars to two foundations that she controlled, although she didn’t have any government post.

On Thursday, Kim told a televised conference that he thinks it’s possible to have Park investigated because “all nationals are equal before the law.” But he said the procedures and methods of any probe of the head of state must be carefully done.

Kim said there are different interpretations of a constitutional provision that grants sitting presidents immunity from criminal lawsuits unless they are accused of serious crimes such as treason. He didn’t elaborate, but his comments likely reflected a view by some scholars that the constitution disallows an indictment and other legal steps beyond an investigation or questioning of the president.

Kim, a public administration professor, served as a top policy adviser for late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun. Park’s nomination of Kim for the country’s No. 2 job was seen as an effort to reach out to liberals for bipartisan support.

But the prospect of parliamentary approval for Kim’s nomination is unclear as the main opposition Democratic Party described it as a tactic to divert attention from the scandal.

Park, a conservative, may survive what has become the worse patch of an already rocky four years in office. But if her choice for prime minister is rejected, and she is forced to name someone chosen by the opposition, it will hamstring her authority and may end her ability to govern.

On Wednesday night, prosecutors detained a former senior aide of Park after summoning him over his alleged involvement in extracting $70 million in donations. He is the second person detained in connection with the scandal. Earlier this week, prosecutors detained Choi and requested an arrest warrant for her.

Much of the public frenzy over the scandal is associated with Choi’s family background. Her father led a religious cult and reportedly was a private mentor for Park, whose parents each were assassinated in the 1970s. Park’s father was a military dictator who ruled South Korea for 18 years.

While acknowledging her ties to Choi Soon-sil last week, Park said Choi helped her “when I had difficulties” in the past. Park acknowledged that Choi had edited some of her speeches and provided public relations help. South Korean media speculate Choi may have had access to sensitive information and played a much larger role in government affairs.

Park has already been criticized for an aloof manner and for relying on only a few longtime confidantes. That she may have outsourced sensitive decisions to someone outside of government, and someone connected with a murky, lurid backstory, has incensed many.</s>President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea speaks during a joint press conference with President Obama in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 16, 2015 in Washington, D.C.

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's embattled president replaced her prime minister and two other top officials on Wednesday in a bid to restore public confidence amid a political scandal involving her longtime friend.

The reshuffles came as prosecutors are investigating whether a personal friend of Park's with no government job used her ties with the president to pull government strings from the shadows and pushed businesses to donate money to foundations she controlled. Prosecutors are expected to seek an arrest warrant for the friend, Choi Soon-sil, later Wednesday.

Park acknowledged last week Choi had edited some of her speeches and provided public relations help. South Korean media speculate Choi likely played a much larger role in government affairs.

Park's office said Wednesday she nominated Kim Byong-joon, a former top policy adviser for late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, as her new prime minister.

The nomination, which requires parliamentary approval, is seen as an effort by the conservative Park to reach out to liberals for bipartisan support amid the scandal that has already forced her to fire eight presidential aides. The two other Cabinet jobs that Park reshuffled were the finance minister and safety minister, and their nominations aren't subject to parliamentary endorsement though they must undergo hearings at the National Assembly.

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party immediately criticized Park's reshuffles, saying it's an attempt to divert attention from the scandal. It said Park must reveal the whole truth about her ties with Choi and the scandal.

Latest public surveys put Park's approval rating at about 10 percent, the lowest since her inauguration in February 2013. The surveys showed about half of respondents think Park should resign or be impeached by lawmakers. Thousands of people rallied in Seoul over the weekend, demanding Park's resignation.

South Korea's executive power is concentrated in the president, but the prime minister, the No.2 government post, leads the country if the president becomes incapacitated.

Choi has been close to Park since Choi's father, the leader of a religious cult, gained Park's trust by reportedly convincing her that he could communicate with her assassinated mother. Choi's father denied that in a 1990 media interview.

Park has already long been criticized for an aloof manner and for relying on only a few longtime confidantes. That she may have been outsourcing sensitive decisions to someone outside of government, and someone connected with a murky, lurid backstory, has incensed many.</s>South Korea’s embattled president Park Geun-hye has kicked out her prime minister and finance minister – as a scandal about a friend accused of meddling in state affairs threatens to topple her administration.

At the centre of the scandal is a secret adviser, Choi Soon-sil, a long-time unelected confidante of the president who is suspected of wielding undue influence and abusing her position to siphon millions of dollars from non-profit funds.

State prosecutors on Wednesday asked a local court to issue a warrant to formally arrest Ms Choi, although they said it was too early to say if their investigation would be widened to include the president, saying they were “not yet at the stage to talk about it”.

Ms Park hopes that by kicking out her closest aides she can offset the damage from the scandal and restore public confidence in her government, but opposition parties have denounced the reshuffle as a bid to divert attention from the political crisis.

Under the reshuffle, there will be a power-sharing governance structure in which the president takes charge of external affairs, such as defence and foreign policy, with the premier controlling internal matters.

The Yonhap news agency cited presidential aides saying that prime minister-designate Kim Byong-joon, if approved by parliament, would take control of domestic affairs, indicating Ms Park will take a back seat in running the country.

Ms Choi is the daughter of the shadowy Choi Tae-min, the “Rasputin-like” leader of a small cult known as the Church of Eternal Life.

He became a mentor to the young Park Geun-hye in the 1970s, claiming that in his dreams he could contact her dead mother Yuk Young-soo, who was assassinated in 1974. Ms Park’s father – and Ms Yuk’s husband – the dictator Park Chung-hee was killed in 1979.

Thousands of South Koreans have taken to the streets to demand Ms Park step down.

Her approval ratings have hit 9 per cent, the lowest since her presidency began in February 2013, but she has rejected calls to step down.

An anonymous official from the presidential office told Yonhap: “President Park has taken the public backlash heavily and is gravely aware of the current situation.”

The scandal has highlighted how influential, and pervasive, cults and alternative religions are in South Korea.

Christianity and Buddhism are the most popular formal religions, but Korean Shamanism, also known as Muism or Sinism, incorporates numerous indigenous beliefs and is also popular.

In September, the group known as Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light held a world peace summit in the country.

South Korea is also home to the Unification Church, or “Moonies”, which is famous for holding mass weddings and has been criticised for allegedly forcing members to split from their families.</s>SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Despite her immunity from prosecution, investigators can look into South Korea's president over a scandal that on whether her longtime friend controlled the government from the shadows, the prime minister-designate said Thursday.

The comments by Kim Byong-joon, who President Park Geun-hye nominated amid rising public anger, came as opposition lawmakers and activists stepped up demands for prosecutors to directly investigate Park to get to the bottom of a scandal that has plunged the country into political turmoil. One recent opinion survey showed Park's approval rating at about 9 .

South Korean media speculate that Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is not officially in the government, manipulated government affairs and pushed businesses to donate millions of dollars to two foundations that she controlled, although she didn't have any government post.

On Thursday, Kim told a televised conference that he thinks it's possible to have Park investigated because "all nationals are equal before the law." But he said the procedures and methods of any probe of the head of state must be carefully done.

Kim said there are different interpretations of a provision that grants sitting presidents immunity from criminal lawsuits unless they are accused of serious crimes such as treason. He didn't elaborate, but his comments likely reflected a view by some scholars that the constitution disallows an indictment and other legal steps beyond an investigation or questioning of the president.

Kim, a public administration professor, served as a top policy adviser for late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun. Park's nomination of Kim for the country's No. 2 job was seen as an effort to reach out to liberals for bipartisan support.

But the prospect of parliamentary approval for Kim's nomination is unclear as the main opposition Democratic Party described it as a tactic to divert attention from the scandal.

Park, a conservative, may survive what has become the worse patch of an already rocky four years in office. But if her choice for prime minister is rejected, and she is forced to name someone chosen by the opposition, it will hamstring her authority and may end her ability to govern.

On Wednesday night, prosecutors detained a former senior aide of Park after summoning him over his alleged involvement in extracting $70 million in donations. He is the second person detained in connection with the scandal. Earlier this week, prosecutors detained Choi and requested an arrest warrant for her.

Much of the public frenzy over the scandal is associated with Choi's family background. Her father led a religious cult and reportedly was a private mentor for Park, whose parents each were assassinated in the 1970s. Park's father was a military dictator who ruled South Korea for 18 years.

While acknowledging her ties to Choi Soon-sil last week, Park said Choi helped her "when I had difficulties" in the past. Park acknowledged that Choi had edited some of her speeches and provided public relations help. South Korean media speculate Choi may have had access to sensitive information and played a much larger role in government affairs.

Park has already been criticized for an aloof manner and for relying on only a few longtime confidantes. That she may have outsourced sensitive decisions to someone outside of government, and someone connected with a murky, lurid backstory, has incensed many.</s>South Korean President Park Geun-hye's choice for prime minister says Park can be the subject of the ongoing investigation into a snowballing influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime friend.

The comments by Kim Byong-joon Thursday came as opposition lawmakers are stepping up their demands that prosecutors directly investigate Park to get to the bottom of the scandal.

South Korean media speculate Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, pulled government affairs from the shadows and pushed businesses to donate millions of dollars to two foundations that she controlled.

Kim told a televised conference that he thinks it's possible to have Park investigated. He says there are different interpretations of a constitution provision that grants sitting presidents immunity from criminal lawsuits.

But he says the procedures and methods of any such probe of the head of state must be carefully done.

South Korean prosecutors have detained a former senior aide of President Park Geun-hye as they widen their investigations into a snowballing political scandal on whether the president's longtime friend was pulling government strings from the shadows.

Ahn Jong-beom is the second person detained over the scandal that has triggered mounting calls for Park's resignation. Earlier this week, prosecutors detained Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, and requested an arrest warrant for her.

South Korean media speculate Choi, who has no government position, made policy recommendations for Park and pushed businesses to donate millions of dollars to two foundations she controlled.

A Seoul prosecution office said Thursday it has detained Ahn while questioning him over his alleged involvement in extracting $70 million of company donations.

Prosecutors have to determine whether to seek an arrest warrant for Ahn or release him by Friday.</s>Choi Soon-sil: South Korean prosecutors arrest woman at centre of political scandal

Posted

The woman at the centre of a political scandal that has cast the South Korean presidency into crisis has been detained, as locals continue to express their anger over the affair.

Key points: Choi Soon-sil has been detained after being questioned by prosecutors

It has been alleged that she profited from ties to President Park Geun-hye

A man rammed a government office with an excavator to "help [Choi] die"

Prosecutors are investigating allegations that Choi Soon-sil used her friendship with President Park Geun-hye to influence state affairs by gaining access to classified documents, and benefited personally through non-profit foundations.

Worried that Ms Choi may be a flight risk and could destroy evidence, prosecutors placed her under emergency detention without a warrant, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

A prosecution official confirmed that she had been arrested and taken to a Seoul detention facility, declining to provide further details.

On Tuesday morning, Ms Choi arrived by prison bus at the prosecutors' office escorted by correctional officers, according to a live broadcast by Yonhap News TV.

Under South Korean law, a suspect can be held under emergency arrest without a warrant for up to 48 hours — a longer detention requires an arrest warrant issued by a court.

In an interview with South Korea's Segye Ilbo newspaper last week, Ms Choi said she received drafts of Ms Park's speeches after her election victory but denied she had access to other official material, or that she influenced state affairs or benefited financially.

Ms Park said last week she had given Ms Choi access to speech drafts early in her term and apologised for causing concern among the public.

Man rams office with excavator to 'help her die'

Meanwhile, South Korean police detained a man who rammed a large excavator into a gate near the office where prosecutors questioned Ms Choi.

Ms Choi had earlier told media that she "committed a sin that deserves death" — a common expression of deep repentance — and the detained man said he "came here to help her die", according to police.

The attack with heavy construction equipment on a Government building is part of a frenzy of emotion in South Korea over the scandal.

Ms Choi, a cult leader's daughter with a decades-long connection to Ms Park, was nearly knocked off her feet several times yesterday as a crowd of protesters and reporters closed in on her.

Protesters screamed for her arrest and Ms Park's resignation, one angry person reportedly tried to enter the building with a bucket full of animal faeces, and Ms Choi lost her shoe in the scrum.

Social media is now awash with images of the discarded black footwear and the word "Soonderella", a combination of parts of Ms Choi's name and the fairy tale character Cinderella, who leaves behind a glass slipper at a ball.

The man detained for the excavator incident was identified as a 45-year-old with the surname Jeong.

It was not known if Ms Choi was at the Seoul office at the time of the ramming, which injured a security guard and damaged the gate and other facilities.

Reuters/AP

Topics: world-politics, law-crime-and-justice, korea-republic-of</s>SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's embattled president moved to replace her prime minister and two other top officials this morning in a bid to restore public confidence in the wake of a political scandal involving her longtime friend.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye nominated Kim Byong-joon, 62, as prime minister to take over for Hwang Kyo-ahn. Yim Jong-yong, chairman of the nation's Financial Services Commission, was tapped to replace Yoo Il-ho in the top finance role, presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk said at a televised briefing. Park Seung-joo, South Korea's former minister of gender equality and family, was chosen to replace Park In-yong as safety minister.

The reshuffling came as prosecutors are investigating whether a friend of Park Geun-hye's used her ties with the president to pull government strings from the shadows and to push businesses to donate money to foundations she controlled.

Prosecutors are expected to seek an arrest warrant for the friend, Choi Soon-sil, later today. She has been jailed under emergency detention laws.

The Seoul central district prosecutors office has 48 hours from the time she was jailed Tuesday to seek a warrant to formally arrest Choi, who is 60.

"Choi has denied all of the charges against her, and we're concerned that she may destroy evidence," a prosecution official said, according to Yonhap.

Fears of evidence destruction and concerns that a suspect is a flight risk are among the justifications for emergency detention.

"She has fled overseas in the past, and she doesn't have a permanent address in South Korea, making her a flight risk," the official told reporters. "She is also in an extremely unstable psychological state, and it's possible an unexpected event could occur if she is released."

Park acknowledged last week that Choi had edited some of her speeches and provided public relations help. South Korean media speculate that Choi played a much larger role in government affairs.

Kim, the nominee for prime minister, was a former top policy adviser for the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun. The nomination, which requires parliamentary approval, is seen as an effort by the conservative Park to reach out to liberals for bipartisan support after previously firing eight presidential aides.

Thousands of people rallied in Seoul over the weekend, demanding Park's resignation.

Early Tuesday, a 45-year-old man drove an excavator from a town about 150 miles south of Seoul and into the prosecutors office where Choi is being held, destroying the door. He later told police he wanted to "help Choi Soon-sil die, as she said she committed a sin that deserves death," the Yonhap news agency reported.

Park has already long been criticized for an aloof manner and for relying on only a few longtime confidantes. That she may have been outsourcing sensitive decisions to someone outside of government, and someone connected with a murky backstory, has incensed many.

Choi is the daughter of the late Choi Tae-min, a shaman-fortune teller who was close to Park's father, Park Chung-hee, the military dictator who ruled South Korea during the 1960s and 1970s.

Choi has been friends with Park since Choi's father, the leader of a religious cult that incorporated elements of Christianity and Buddhism, gained Park's trust by reportedly convincing her that he could "deliver messages" from her late mother, who was assassinated in 1974. Choi Tae-min denied that in a 1990 media interview.

Park Chung-hee was assassinated by one of his bodyguards in 1979, and Choi Tae-min died in 1994, but the daughters' friendship endured. In her only public statement on the scandal, Park last week said that Choi Soon-sil had helped her through "difficult times."

Information for this article was contributed by Hyung-jin Kim of The Associated Press; by Kanga Kong and Jiyeun Lee of Bloomberg News; and by Anna Fifield of The Washington Post.</s>South Korea names a new prime minister and finance minister, the highest-level shake-up since President Park Geun-hye's administration was rocked by scandal. Ryan Brooks reports.</s>SEOUL -- South Korea's embattled president replaced her prime minister and two other top officials on Wednesday in a bid to restore public confidence amid a political scandal involving her longtime friend.

The reshuffles came as prosecutors are investigating whether a personal friend of Park's with no government job used her ties with the president to pull government strings from the shadows and pushed businesses to donate money to foundations she controlled. Prosecutors are expected to seek an arrest warrant for the friend, Choi Soon-sil, later Wednesday.

Park acknowledged last week Choi had edited some of her speeches and provided public relations help. South Korean media speculate Choi likely played a much larger role in government affairs.

Park's office said Wednesday she nominated Kim Byong-joon, a former top policy adviser for late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, as her new prime minister.

The nomination, which requires parliamentary approval, is seen as an effort by the conservative Park to reach out to liberals for bipartisan support amid the scandal that has already forced her to fire eight presidential aides. The two other Cabinet jobs that Park reshuffled were the finance minister and safety minister, and their nominations aren't subject to parliamentary endorsement though they must undergo hearings at the National Assembly.

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party immediately criticized Park's reshuffles, saying it's an attempt to divert attention from the scandal. It said Park must reveal the whole truth about her ties with Choi and the scandal.

Latest public surveys put Park's approval rating at about 10 percent, the lowest since her inauguration in February 2013. The surveys showed about half of respondents think Park should resign or be impeached by lawmakers. Thousands of people rallied in Seoul over the weekend, demanding Park's resignation.

South Korea's executive power is concentrated in the president, but the prime minister, the No.2 government post, leads the country if the president becomes incapacitated.

Choi has been close to Park since Choi's father, the leader of a religious cult, gained Park's trust by reportedly convincing her that he could communicate with her assassinated mother. Choi's father denied that in a 1990 media interview.

Park has already long been criticized for an aloof manner and for relying on only a few longtime confidantes. That she may have been outsourcing sensitive decisions to someone outside of government, and someone connected with a murky, lurid backstory, has incensed many.</s>Protesters have been calling for Park to resign since revelations last week that her confidante and spiritual adviser Choi Soon-sil may have seen secret government documents and influenced policy

In an apparent attempt to stem the scandal Wednesday, Park named three new senior officials to her cabinet.

Kim Byong-joon, a professor at Seoul's Kookmin University, will replace Hwang Kyo-ahn as prime minister, the president's office confirmed to CNN.

In South Korea, the premiership is largely a ceremonial position, but its holder serves as deputy to the president. Yim Jong-yong and Park Seung-joo were named finance minister and national safety minister respectively. Thousands of South Koreans took to Seoul's streets to demand President Park Geun-hye step down in the wake of allegations that Park let her friend, Choi Soon-Sil, interfere in important state affairs. A protester wearing a mask of Park Geun-Hye holds a placard saying "Why do you need Halloween fest? We can see all the horror in our lives," during the protest. A protester wearing a traditional Korean mask holds a placard saying "You Need to Resign Now" during the protest. Police estimated that around 12,000 demonstrators attended the evening protest, according to the country's semi-official Yonhap news agency. A protester satirizes President Park's relationship with Choi Soon-Sil, wearing a costume of a shaman during the Saturday night protest. "The Choi Soon-Sil crisis revealed that President Park Geun-Hye has neither the ability nor capacity to administer the government," protest leader Han Sun-bum said Saturday. "So we've gathered to demand Park resign, and we are going to keep protesting to urge for resignation until Park steps down." Protesters wearing masks of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and her confidante Choi Soon-Sil perform before a candlelit rally in central Seoul on Saturday. Multiple aids to President Park have resigned in the wake of the scandal, including four senior secretaries responsible for matters such as political affairs and policy coordination. whether Park can survive the scandal simply by replacing her cabinet, given that it largely concerns her personal judgment. whether Park can survive the scandal simply by replacing her cabinet, given that it largely concerns her personal judgment. Analysts have doubted whether Park can survive the scandal simply by replacing her cabinet, given that it largely concerns her personal judgment. In a televised apology, Park admitted Choi had looked at "some documents," and said "my heart is breaking" over the concerns caused to the public.
Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of a South Korean political scandal involving her friend President of Korea Park Geun-hye, is detained for questioning.