BBC Online :
South Korean President Park Geun-hye had a “considerable” role in a corruption scandal involving a close confidante, prosecutors have said.
Speaking after confidante Choi Soon-sil and two aides were charged, Chief Prosecutor Lee Young-ryeol said Ms Park was “involved as a conspirator”.
Ms Park’s lawyer said that prosecutors had “built a house of fantasy”.
The president has immunity from prosecution but has faced huge protests and opponents have urged her to quit.
Chief Prosecutor Lee said the president would be questioned soon.
However, although she had previously pledged to co-operate in the investigation, her lawyer, Yoo Young-ha, said on Sunday that Ms Park would not meet prosecutors and would only deal with an independent team that will soon take over the inquiry. Ms Park’s spokesman, Jung Youn-kuk, said that the prosecutors’ allegations were “unfair political attacks”.
He said their case was “a house of cards built on imagination and speculation that completely ignores objective evidence”.
Ms Park, whose approval rating has dropped to 5%, has apologised twice on national television but has so far resisted calls to resign.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye had a “considerable” role in a corruption scandal involving a close confidante, prosecutors have said.
Speaking after confidante Choi Soon-sil and two aides were charged, Chief Prosecutor Lee Young-ryeol said Ms Park was “involved as a conspirator”.
Ms Park’s lawyer said that prosecutors had “built a house of fantasy”.
The president has immunity from prosecution but has faced huge protests and opponents have urged her to quit.
Chief Prosecutor Lee said the president would be questioned soon.
However, although she had previously pledged to co-operate in the investigation, her lawyer, Yoo Young-ha, said on Sunday that Ms Park would not meet prosecutors and would only deal with an independent team that will soon take over the inquiry. Ms Park’s spokesman, Jung Youn-kuk, said that the prosecutors’ allegations were “unfair political attacks”.
He said their case was “a house of cards built on imagination and speculation that completely ignores objective evidence”.
Ms Park, whose approval rating has dropped to 5%, has apologised twice on national television but has so far resisted calls to resign.
