SEOUL—South Korean prosecutors said they would seek an arrest warrant for former President Park Geun-hye, just 17 days after she was removed from office as part of a wide-ranging political scandal that caused her to be impeached.

Ms. Park, who was subjected to a marathon round of questioning by prosecutors on Tuesday of last week, has been accused by prosecutors of abusing her presidential powers to help a longtime friend extort money from some of the country’s biggest business empires, including the Samsung conglomerate.

On Monday, prosecutors alleged that Ms. Park used her power and position as president to interfere in the management of private companies, and that she leaked confidential state secrets to her friend, Choi Soon-sil, who has been in custody while facing trial on charges of extortion and abuse of power.

“We fear that she may further destroy evidence,” prosecutors said on Monday, adding that it wasn’t fair for Ms. Park to remain free while Ms. Choi and other former public officials and business leaders implicated in the scandal remained in custody. Ms. Park’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, Ms. Park has denied wrongdoing.

A South Korean judge will review the evidence later this week and decide whether to grant the arrest warrant. If granted, Ms. Park would be immediately confined to a prison cell while prosecutors seek a formal indictment against her. A trial would follow.