Ousted Park questioned in jail

South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday grilled former President Park Geun-hye at a detention facility, where she is in custody, as part of a continuing investigation into a scandal that led to her removal from office and arrest.

Prosecutor Han Woong-jae led the interrogation from 10 a.m. to 8:40 p.m. at a makeshift investigation room at Seoul Detention Center south of Seoul, where she has been jailed since Friday. The session took place inside the facility at Park’s request. It was the first questioing since she was detained Friday.

Two of Park’s lawyers, Yoo Young-ha and Chae Myung-sung, were present. The investigation was not recorded by video.

Outside the prison, some 50 supporters for Park rallied, calling for her immediate release. Some of them burst into tears and others shouting “Give me back our president,” waving the national and US flags.

Park faces a total of 13 criminal charges, but Tuesday’s interrogation was said to have focused on Park’s alleged collusion with her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil to coerce donations from local firms including Samsung Group.

Choi and Samsung Group’s de facto chief Lee Jae-yong are also in custody at the same detention facility.

Park is suspected of extorting donations worth 77.4 billion won ($69.6 million) from local firms, including Samsung Group, for the Mir and K-Sports foundations controlled by Choi in return for political favors.

An independent counsel team, which ended its 70-day probe into the scandal on Feb. 28, concluded that part of Samsung’s donations had been bribes made in return for political favors. Samsung’s Lee is standing trial for offering or promising to offer bribes to Park and Choi.

If convicted of bribery, which carries the heaviest punishment among all the charges, Park could be sentenced to life imprisonment or a term of at least 10 years.

Park has flatly denied all the charges, saying local firms voluntarily made donations for the foundations.

But her denial is one of the reasons the prosecution saw the possibility of Park destroying evidence and sought an arrest warrant to detain her.

It remains to be seen whether Park and Choi will sit down together to go through a cross interrogation. The prosecution ruled out the possibility during a briefing Monday. 

Choi also sternly denied her involvement in the bribery scheme during the first hearing on her bribery case Tuesday.

“The independent counsel set me up in a bribery frame when I don’t know anything about Samsung Group’s managing structure,” Choi said during the hearing. “Park’s arrest results from my wrong judgment and behavior. I am also sorry to Samsung Group (which donated money) out of good will.”

The independent counsel suspects Park and Choi of sharing economic benefits.

At the hearing, the prosecution revealed statements by staff members who had worked at a dress shop that manufactured some of Park’s clothing. According to their statements, Choi directly paid them in cash for Park’s clothing, rental fees for the shop and their salary until late last year. 

Park’s other charges include allowing Choi to meddle in state affairs, leaking government secrets to her and discriminating against artists with liberal views.

As Park lost her presidential immunity after being expelled from power on March 10, she was summoned for questioning on March 21 for the first time and was grilled at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office for some 11 hours.

The arrest warrant for Park is valid until April 19. The prosecution is expected to file charges against her by mid-April to minimize the impact Park’s arrest will have on the May 9 presidential election.

The prosecution is also speeding up a probe into Woo Byung-woo, the former presidential secretary for civil affairs, by summoning him for questioning scheduled for Thursday. He is suspected of assisting or condoning Choi’s meddling in state affairs.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)