Park Geun-hye to be interviewed this week over scandal involving close friend that has led to calls for her resignation

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

South Korean prosecutors have said they will question the president, Park Geun-hye, this week over a snowballing corruption scandal involving a close friend that has triggered massive protests calling for her resignation.

The scandal centres on Park’s confidant, Choi Soon-sil, who is accused of using her ties with the president to strong-arm local firms into donating millions of dollars to two non-profit foundations Choi then used for personal gain.

“We need to question the president Tuesday, or Wednesday at the latest,” Yonhap news agency quoted an official with the Seoul prosecutors’ office as saying, adding they had sent a notice to her office and were waiting for a response.

Park could respond as early as Tuesday after she appoints a lawyer to represent her, her spokesman said, without elaborating further.

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If Park agrees, she will be the first South Korean president to be questioned by prosecutors while in office. She had earlier vowed not to hide behind presidential privilege if required to give testimony.

Park faces allegations that she pressured the heads of the country’s powerful conglomerates to donate money to Choi’s foundations during a meeting with them last July.

Samsung’s vice-chair, Lee Jae-yong, and Hyundai Motor Group’s chair, Chung Mong-koo, were reportedly among those who attended that meeting.

Prosecutors interviewed Chung over the weekend and were questioning Lee, Yonhap said.

The “donations” from the firms allegedly amounted to nearly $70m, including 20bn won (£13.6m) from Samsung and 12.8bn won from Hyundai – South Korea’s top carmaker.

Samsung, the world’s top maker of smartphones, is also accused of separately offering millions of euros to Choi to bankroll her daughter’s equestrian training in Germany.

Choi, whose father was an elusive religious figure and a longtime mentor to Park until his death in 1994, was arrested earlier this month for abuse of power and fraud. The 60-year-old is also accused of meddling in state affairs to the extent of nominating officials and editing Park’s speeches even though she has no official title or security clearance.

The scandal that emerged late last month has led to nationwide fury, with tens of thousands of protesters calling for Park’s resignation.

The latest rally on Saturday drew 1 million people, according to organisers, making it the largest public protest in South Korea in nearly three decades.