By Kim Se-jeong
The prosecution will decide next week on how and when to question President Park Geun-hye over the corruption scandal involving her close confidant Choi Soon-sil.
Investigators at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that they will “draw up an overall picture” for questioning the President who has vowed to comply with the prosecution.
Prosecutors plan to indict Choi on Nov. 19 on charges of fraud, embezzlement and abuse of power. They are also looking to file additional charges.
Questioning Park will be inevitable as prosecutors have already secured sufficient evidence after her arrested aides and other figures involved gave unfavorable testimony about her.
Jeong Ho-seong, former presidential secretary for private presidential affairs who was arrested on suspicion of giving Choi classified presidential documents, testified he only did what President Park told him to do, the prosecution said.
According to prosecutors, Jeong said Park wanted to hear different opinions about her speech drafts and told him to send them to Choi. But he claimed although Choi read the drafts, she did not correct anything.
The prosecution confiscated Jeong’s two cell phones during a raid on his house, and found several audio files containing conversations he had with Park and Choi. Jeong said he had recorded the conversations to confirm their commands.
An Chong-bum, former senior presidential secretary for policy coordination, also turned his back on Park. An, who was arrested on suspicion of forcing dozens of conglomerates to donate money to the Mir and K-Sports foundations set up by Choi, told the prosecution that the President ordered him to collect money from the conglomerates — contrary to Park’s earlier claim that the companies raised nearly 80 billion won “voluntarily for a good purpose.”
Prosecutors also plan to question the heads of major conglomerates here about their fundraising for Choi’s foundations.
The prosecution secured information related to private meetings between the President and the business leaders last year from An’s mobile phone and a notebook.
Park had a luncheon with heads of 17 conglomerates at Cheong Wa Dae, July 24 last year, and urged them to invest more in Korean culture promotion.
After the luncheon, she had another meeting with seven CEOs, during which the prosecution suspects she pressured the companies to give money to the foundations.
“We’ll investigate all of the companies that provided money,” a prosecutor said. “We’ll select who to question carefully, but if necessary, not only working-level officials but also chairmen and CEOs will be called in.”
A vice president from Hyundai Motor was questioned, Tuesday.
If the fundraising was in return for business favors, those involved — including the President — may face bribery charges.
Choi may avoid charges of violation of presidential record management, because most of the documents handed over to her were drafts of speeches or state affairs before Cheong Wa Dae finalized them as official documents.