Through her addresses to the nation on Oct. 25 and Nov. 4, the president admitted to handing over some of her speech drafts to Choi to get her advice, and claimed that her role in raising funds for the two foundations was based on "pure motives" to benefit the country.</s>Story highlights President Park will be the first sitting South Korean leader to be investigated

A confidante and two former aides of Park's face corruption charges

(CNN) South Korean President Park Geun-hye will be investigated "as a suspect" in a growing political corruption scandal, prosecutors said on Sunday, as three people with ties to Park were officially indicted.

But whatever their findings, Park will not be charged due to a law that makes the president immune from prosecution.

South Korean prosecutors announced Sunday there was enough evidence charge Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president, and former aides An Chong-bum and Chung Ho-sung.

Lee Young-ryol, the prosecutor who led the corruption probe, said Choi and An are being charged with abuse of power, fraud and coercion. Chung faces charges related to leaking classified documents to Choi through email, phone and fax.

"Park cannot be charged with any 'crime' as a sitting president in accordance with Korean constitution but prosecutors will continue to investigate Park Geun-hye," Lee said.

Read More</s>Three people with ties to South Korean President Park Geun-hye have been indicted for their role in a political corruption scandal. Park, however, will not be charged because of a law that makes the president immune from prosecution.

South Korean prosecutors announced Saturday there was enough evidence charge Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president, and former aides An Chong-bum and Chung Ho-sung.

Lee Young-ryol, the prosecutor who led the corruption probe, said Choi and An are being charged with abuse of power, fraud and coercion. Chung faces charges related to leaking classified documents to Choi through email, phone and fax.

"Park cannot be charged with any 'crime' as a sitting president in accordance with Korean constitution but prosecutors will continue to investigate Park Geun-hye," Lee said.

According to the South Korean constitution, the president cannot be charged with a crime while holding office except for insurrection or treason.</s>South Korea: President Park to be investigated as three indicted</s>South Korean prosecutors said on Sunday they had indicted a friend of President Park Geun-hye and two former aides in a corruption scandal engulfing her administration, in a heavy setback to her fight for political survival.

Choi Soon-sil, Park’s friend, and former presidential aide An Chong-bum are charged with abuse of power in pressuring conglomerates to contribute funds to foundations at the center of the scandal, said Lee Young-ryeol, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

Lee said that his team believed Park had an accomplice role in the case but added that she cannot be indicted because she has constitutional immunity.

“We will continue to investigate the president,” Lee told reporters, declining to give further details.

Under the constitution, a sitting president cannot be indicted unless on charges of treason, but the conclusion by the prosecutors that Park was involved in the case prompted fresh calls from opposition parties for her to step down.

The main opposition Democratic Party and the centrist People’s Party said Park she will face impeachment proceedings if she refuses to resign. But they stopped short of saying they would immediately initiate such a move.

Analysts said the prosecutors’ conclusion about the president’s involvement increased the prospect that she would face impeachment.

“It provided a legal basis for impeachment proceedings, not only her moral and political liabilities,” said Kim Jun-seok, a political science professor at Dongguk University in Seoul.

Park is unlikely to voluntarily step down because she would lose immunity against prosecution, Kim said.

“Then, the only option that is left for politicians given the worsening public sentiment is impeachment,” he said.

South Korea’s presidential Blue House did not have an immediate comment. Lee did not say when the prosecutors will question Park.

The indictments had been expected. Choi has been accused of conspiring with An to exert improper pressure on dozens of the country’s biggest conglomerates to help raise 77.4 billion won ($65.59-million) on behalf of two non-profit foundations she controlled, according to the prosecutors.

Park’s presidency has been rocked by allegations that Choi used her ties to the president to meddle in state affairs and wield improper influence, but she has resisted calls to resign.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday in the fourth straight weekend of protests against her.

Prosecutors also indicted a second former presidential aide, Jeong Ho-seong, with leaking classified information to Choi.

An and Jeong both stepped down late last month as the crisis deepened.

Park has pledged to co-operate in the investigation but pushed back on the prosecutors’ plan to question her last week.

South Korea’s parliament has approved a bill to appoint a special prosecutor, who will take over from state prosecutors and conduct a separate and a more wide reaching probe. The special prosecutor is expected to begin work next month.</s>South Korean prosecutors on Sunday said they believe President Park Geun-hye conspired in criminal activities of a secretive confidante who allegedly manipulated government affairs and exploited her presidential ties to amass an illicit fortune — a damning revelation that may convince opposition parties to push for her impeachment.

Prosecutors are planning to soon question Park, who has immunity but can be investigated, said Lee Young-ryeol, chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office.

Prosecutors on Sunday formally charged Park’s longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, on suspicion of interfering with state affairs and bullying companies into giving tens of millions of dollars to foundations she controlled.

In a televised news conference, Lee said that based on the evidence, “the president was involved as a conspirator in a considerable part of the criminal activities by suspects Choi Soon-sil, Ahn Jong-beom and Jung Ho-sung.” He was referring to two presidential aides who also were formally charged Sunday for allegedly helping Choi.

“However, because of the president’s impunity from prosecution stated in Article 84 of the Constitution, we cannot indict the president. The special investigation headquarters will continue to push for an investigation of the president based on this judgment,” Lee said.

Park is facing growing calls to resign over the scandal critics say has undermined the country’s democracy. Emboldened by huge protests in recent weeks, opposition parties have been stepping up pressure on Park to quit.

Opposition parties have so far refrained from seriously pushing for Park’s impeachment over fears of triggering a backlash from conservative voters and negatively impacting next year’s presidential election.

However, there are growing voices within the opposition saying that an impeachment attempt is inevitable because it’s unlikely Park will resign and give up her immunity.

Ahn Jong-beom, Park’s former senior secretary for policy coordination, has been under suspicion of pressuring companies into making large donations to foundations Choi controlled.

Jung Ho-sung, another former presidential aide who was also indicted, has been accused of passing on classified presidential documents to Choi, including information on ministerial candidates.

Prosecutors are also seeking to indict Cha Eun-taek, a famous music video director who allegedly used his close relationships with Choi to win lucrative government culture projects, and former vice sports minister Kim Chong, suspected of providing business favors to sports organizations controlled by Choi.

Kim is also under suspicion of influencing the ministry’s decision to financially support a sports foundation run by Choi’s niece, who prosecutors detained Friday.

On Saturday, police said about 170,000 people turned out for the latest anti-Park protest in streets near City Hall and a boulevard fronting an old palace gate in Seoul.

Demonstrators also marched in streets near the presidential offices, carrying candles and illuminating cellphones, and shouting “Park Geun-hye step down” and “Arrest Park Geun-hye.”

Park’s term lasts until Feb. 24, 2018. If she steps down before the presidential vote on Dec. 20, 2017, an election must be held within 60 days.</s>South Korea’s political crisis is deepening after prosecutors accused President Park Geun-hye of collusion in a corruption and influence-peddling case involving a close confidante dubbed her “shaman adviser”.

Although she cannot be charged because of presidential immunity except in cases of insurrection or treason, opposition rivals are calling for her impeachment and nearly one million Koreans rallied in Seoul calling for her to step down for a fourth successive weekend.

A special investigation team appointed by public prosecutors said that Ms Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil was indicted on charges of abuse of power, coercion, attempted coercion and attempted fraud, while two senior former aides An Chong-bum and Chung Ho-sung were also formally charged.

“We have booked the president as a suspect, believing that she had been an accomplice with (Choi and her aides),” Lee Young-ryeol, chief of the Seoul central district prosecutor’s office, said in a televised news conference.

Prosecutors had not been allowed to question the president face-to-face despite repeated requests, he said.

“We still decided to press charges against the three suspects, who are in pre-trial detention, based on the vast evidence we have investigated so far, including testimonies, a work memo book and records of conservations from mobile phones,” said Mr Lee.

Ms Choi was Ms Park’s spiritual adviser for many years. She succeeded her father Choi Tae-min as head of the shadowy Church of Eternal Life. Her father was seen as playing a Rasputin-like role in the life of the young Park Geun-hye in the 1970s, claiming he could talk to her dead mother Yook Young-soo, who was assassinated in 1974. Ms Park’s father, the dictator Park Chung-hee, was killed in 1979.

Ms Choi was arrested in November, accused of using her relationship with Park to acquire 77.4 billion won (€62 million) in donations for her foundations by putting pressure on some of South Korea’s biggest “chaebols” or industrial conglomerates, including carmaker Hyundai, retail giant Lotte, steelmaker Posco and telecom giant KT.

Shortly before her arrest Ms Choi apologised and said she had committed a “deadly sin”.

The presidential Blue House has strenuously denied the allegations, describing them as a “house of cards”.

“The results announced by the prosecutors’ office are not true at all and are based on speculation and imagination,” Park’s spokesman Jung Youn-kuk told a briefing on Sunday.

Her lawyer Yoo Yeong-ha has rejected calls for her to undergo questioning, telling the Yonhap news agency he will prepare for the interrogation so it can take place sometime this week.

Park’s approval rating remained at an all-time low of five per cent last week, according to local pollster Gallup Korea.

The Korea Joongang Daily said the prosecution’s decision to label Park a co-conspirator offered legal grounds for lawmakers to move ahead with a presidential impeachment motion.

Moon Jae-in, who is seen as a popular contender for the presidency and former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, said at a meeting of eight opposition presidential candidates that the case for impeachment was strong.

“If the president declared that she would resign, we would help her leave the office with dignity,” he said.</s>(CNN) South Korean President Park Geun-hye will be investigated "as a suspect" in a growing political corruption scandal, prosecutors said on Sunday, as three people with ties to Park were officially indicted.

But whatever their findings, Park will not be charged due to a law that makes the president immune from prosecution.

South Korean prosecutors announced Sunday there was enough evidence charge Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president, and former aides An Chong-bum and Chung Ho-sung.

Lee Young-ryol, the prosecutor who led the corruption probe, said Choi and An are being charged with abuse of power, fraud and coercion. Chung faces charges related to leaking classified documents to Choi through email, phone and fax.

"Park cannot be charged with any 'crime' as a sitting president in accordance with Korean constitution but prosecutors will continue to investigate Park Geun-hye," Lee said.

Park will become the nation's first sitting president to be investigated as a suspect, CNN's Paula Hancocks said.

According to the South Korean constitution, the president cannot be charged with a crime while holding office except for insurrection or treason.

A spokesperson for the Blue House blasted the investigation as one that has "ignored fairness."

"Her rights of getting a fair chance of due legal process has been taken away," the Blue House spokesperson said.

When Choi's father died, she succeeded him as leader of the Eternal Life Church. For years, she has given Park spiritual guidance.

Choi, who was arrested in early November, faced accusations that she used her relationship with Park to acquire millions of dollars in donations for her foundations.

Prior to her arrest, Choi had issued an apology and said that she had "committed a deadly sin," according to CNN affiliate YTN.

"My apologies to the public," she said at the time. "Please forgive me."

Park has apologized multiple times for her role in the scandal.

Park has ordered the resignation of 10 of her senior secretaries -- aides who coordinate policy -- as political turmoil gripped the country.

Multiple aides to President Park have resigned in the wake of the scandal, including four senior secretaries responsible for political affairs and policy coordination.

Park also sacked the country's prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, replacing him with Kim Byong-joon, a professor at Seoul's Kookmin University.

Massive demonstrations have taken place across South Korea to demand Park's resignation, according to the country's Yonhap news agency.

Earlier this month, protesters gathered around the presidential compound in the South Korean capital of Seoul to vent their anger at President Park.

It was one of the biggest anti-government protests the country has seen in decades, according to Hancocks

Following that demonstration, Park's spokesman said the President had "heard the voices of the people yesterday with gravity and deeply realizes the seriousness of the current situation."

He added that Park was considering ways to "normalize the state of affairs and fulfill her responsibility as President."

In a statement, a spokesperson from the Blue House called the prosecutor's remarks "regrettable," given the perception that the president has committed a crime.

"What the Prosecutors' office have said today is not true and that they have ignored the facts and it is only based on speculation and imagination," the spokesperson said.

Nevertheless, Park still planned to cooperate with prosecutors for questions this week to order to "prove her innocence."

During the scandal, the spokesperson noted the likelihood of the president getting a fair chance of due legal process has been taken away.</s>FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2016, file photo, protesters wearing masks of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, left and Choi Soon-sil, Park's longtime friend, in Seoul, South Korea. South Korean prosecutors on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, said they believe Park conspired in criminal activities of a secretive confidante who allegedly manipulated government affairs and exploited her presidential ties to amass an illicit fortune - a damning revelation that may convince opposition parties to push for her impeachment. The placards held by the protesters read: "Park Geun-hye should step down." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors on Sunday said they believe President Park Geun-hye conspired in criminal activities of a secretive confidante who allegedly manipulated government affairs and exploited her presidential ties to amass an illicit fortune — a damning revelation that may convince opposition parties to push for her impeachment.

Prosecutors are planning to soon question Park, who has immunity but can be investigated, said Lee Young-ryeol, chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Prosecutors on Sunday formally charged Park's longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, on suspicion of interfering with state affairs and bullying companies into giving tens of millions of dollars to foundations and businesses she controlled.

In a televised news conference, Lee said that based on the evidence, "the president was involved as a conspirator in a considerable part of the criminal activities by suspects Choi Soon-sil, Ahn Jong-beom and Jung Ho-sung." He was referring to two presidential aides who also were formally charged Sunday for allegedly helping Choi.

"However, because of the president's impunity from prosecution stated in Article 84 of the constitution, we cannot indict the president. The special investigation headquarters will continue to push for an investigation of the president based on this judgment," Lee said.

Park's office had no immediate comment Sunday.

Park is facing growing calls to resign over the scandal critics say has undermined the country's democracy. Although emboldened by a wave of mass protests, opposition parties have so far refrained from seriously pushing for Park's impeachment over fears of triggering a backlash from conservative voters and negatively impacting next year's presidential election.

However, there are growing voices within the opposition saying that an impeachment attempt is inevitable because it's unlikely Park will resign and give up her immunity.

Ahn Jong-beom, Park's former senior secretary for policy coordination, was charged with abuse of authority, coercion and attempted coercion over allegations that he pressured companies into making large donations to foundations and companies Choi controlled.

Jung Ho-sung, the other former aide who was indicted, was accused of passing on classified presidential documents to Choi, including information on ministerial candidates.

According to Lee, Choi and Ahn conspired to pressure companies into giving a combined 77.4 billion won ($65.5 million) to the Mir and K-Sports foundations, two nonprofits that were under Choi's control. The companies couldn't refuse because they feared doing so would result in business disadvantages, such as difficulties in gaining government approval for projects or being targeted in tax investigations, Lee said.

Additionally, Choi and Ahn pressured the Lotte Group into giving 7 billion won ($5.9 million) to the K Sports foundation to finance the construction of a sports facility in the city of Hanam, which was to be operated by The Blue K, a company established by Choi, Lee said.

Auto giant Hyundai and telecommunications company KT were forced to contract 13 billion won ($11 million) worth of their advertisements to Playground, an ad agency virtually run by Choi, Lee said. Hyundai was also forced to buy 1.1 billion won ($931,000) worth of supplies from an auto parts maker run by Choi's friend. Ahn and Choi also tried but failed to take over the shares of an advertisement company previously owned by steelmaker POSCO, Lee said.

Prosecutors are also seeking to indict Cha Eun-taek, a famous music video director who allegedly used his close relationship with Choi to win lucrative government culture projects, and former vice sports minister Kim Chong, suspected of providing business favors to sports organizations controlled by Choi.

Kim is also under suspicion of influencing the ministry's decision to financially support a sports foundation run by Choi's niece, who prosecutors detained on Friday.

On Saturday, police said about 170,000 people turned out for the latest anti-Park protest in streets near City Hall and a boulevard fronting an old palace gate in Seoul.

Demonstrators also marched in streets near the presidential offices, carrying candles and illuminating cellphones, and shouting "Park Geun-hye step down" and "Arrest Park Geun-hye."

Park's term lasts until Feb. 24, 2018. If she steps down before the presidential vote on Dec. 20, 2017, an election must be held within 60 days.</s>South Korean president Park Geun-hye colluded with her close confidante in a major influence-peddling scandal that has engulfed her government, prosecutors said on Sunday, as they laid out charges against Park’s longtime ally and two former presidential aides.



The scandal, which has become known as Choi-gate, sparked fury across the nation with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets to call for Park’s resignation.

“The president played a collusive role in a considerable portion of the criminal activities involving the [three] people,” said Lee Young-Ryeol, who is leading a probe into the scandal.



Park’s ally Choi Soon-sil and one of the president’s former aides were arrested earlier this month on charges of fraud, coercion and abuse of power. Another presidential aide was arrested for leaking confidential state documents.

Choi, 60, has been accused of using her personal ties with Park to meddle in state affairs and coerce local firms to “donate” tens of millions of dollars to non-profit foundations she then used for personal gain.

Park faces allegations that she helped Choi extract money from the firms and ordered her aides to leak state documents to Choi, who has no official title or security clearance.

Under South Korea’s constitution, the incumbent president cannot be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason but she can still be probed by prosecutors and potentially charged after leaving office.

Lee acknowledged that prosecutors could not formally charge Park for now but vowed to continue to investigate her.

Park earlier promised to answer prosecutors’ questions – making her the first South Korean president to be quizzed by prosecutors while in office.



More than 50 local firms including Samsung and Hyundai were forced to donate a total of $65.5m to the two foundations controlled by Choi.

Many made the donations due to fear of political reprisals, such as harsh tax audits or difficulties getting regulatory approvals for their businesses, Lee said.

Choi also pressured major firms including the country’s largest carmaker Hyundai and the top steelmaker Posco to award lucrative contracts to firms linked to Choi, he added.

One of the aides leaked 180 confidential documents to Choi, which included papers on foreign policy and nominations of top officials and cabinet members, according to prosecutors.

Choi is known to have wielded huge influence on the country’s sports sector, including the nomination of officials and even preparations for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Kim Chong, who served as vice sports minister for three years until last month, has also accused of helping Choi’s foundations win lucrative state contracts.

Prosecutors are investigating whether Kim played a role in a recent decision by his ministry to provide a cash subsidy to a winter sports foundation run by Choi’s niece, who is widely seen as her key aide.

The scandal has sent Park’s public approval rating plunging to five per cent – the lowest for any sitting South Korean president.

Choi is a daughter of a religious figure who was a longtime mentor to Park until his death in 1994. He is known to have befriended Park after the assassination of her first lady mother in 1974.
An interim report by South Korean prosecutors implicates President Park Geun-hye in a political scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-sil. Three people have been indicted in relation to the scandal. President Park cannot be indicted due to a constitutional provision preventing a sitting President being indicted except for treason or insurrection.