State archives begins work to take over Park's records

The South Korean government has begun work to transfer official presidential records to state archives after ex-leader Park Geun-hye was ousted for corruption last week, officials said Tuesday.

The transfer could delay the ongoing corruption investigation into Park. Investigators failed to search the presidential office for evidence after her aides denied them entry for security reasons.

Once moved to the Presidential Archives, the records will be sealed for between 15 and 30 years and can be viewed only with the approval of the National Assembly or a court warrant.

The Presidential Archives said it has launched a 36-member team to install a hall dedicated to the 2013-2017 Park administration, which will store records from government agencies that assisted and advised the former president.

The team has been in talks with the relevant agencies to determine which records should be transferred and when.

"We plan to provide the necessary staff and materials to the agencies to ensure a safe and swift transfer of records," said an official of the archives, a branch of the National Archives of Korea. "We are in talks over the details."

By law, a former president can restrict access to designated records for a period of 15 years, or up to 30 years for personal records.

The official said that authority will be given to Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn in the wake of Park's ouster.

Critics denounced the decision over concerns the acting president could hide or destroy evidence related to Park's alleged crimes.

Park has been named an accomplice to her friend Choi Soon-sil in extorting money from Samsung Group.

She could undergo a prosecutorial investigation as early as this week as the court's dismissal deprived her of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.

A special prosecutors team tasked with investigating the scandal said it will decide Wednesday when to summon the former president for questioning and inform her of the date.

The team is also considering whether to make another attempt to search the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae before the records are transferred.

"Cheong Wa Dae is a security facility with military and official secrets and it has never been searched under relevant laws and practices," said a presidential official. "That position hasn't changed."

The state archives have sent a letter to the presidential office and other agencies urging them to take care not to leak or destroy presidential records.

"It's part of standard procedures to send such a letter in the process of preparing for a transfer of records," the official at the archives said. (Yonhap)