By Jun Ji-hye
Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye's longtime friend who is at the center of an ongoing influence-peddling scandal, and her scandal-ridden relatives have all refused to comply with the National Assembly's demand that they attend a hearing on the scandal, slated for Wednesday.
The Assembly said it has asked law enforcement officers to bring Choi, currently in a detention center, to the witness stand. However, Choi has said she is suffering from health problems and cannot appear. Failure to do so could result in her facing up to 3 years in prison or a 10 million won fine under parliamentary law.
Besides Choi, her elder sister Choi Soon-deuk and niece Chang Si-ho, who are also key suspects in the scandal, also refused the Assembly's demand to attend the hearing.
They all cited health problems and on-going trials.
The hearing is part of the Assembly's ongoing investigation into the scandal, which is being conducted separately from a probe by the prosecution, and one to be conducted by an independent counsel expected to start this week.
The Choi sisters and Chang were originally scheduled to testify before the Assembly over allegations that Choi Soon-sil, who was indicted on Nov. 20, exerted undue influence on state affairs and conglomerates, despite not holding any official position in the administration. The older Choi and her daughter are also suspected to have benefited from this.
Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye's longtime friend who is at the center of an ongoing influence-peddling scandal, and her scandal-ridden relatives have all refused to comply with the National Assembly's demand that they attend a hearing on the scandal, slated for Wednesday.
The Assembly said it has asked law enforcement officers to bring Choi, currently in a detention center, to the witness stand. However, Choi has said she is suffering from health problems and cannot appear. Failure to do so could result in her facing up to 3 years in prison or a 10 million won fine under parliamentary law.
Besides Choi, her elder sister Choi Soon-deuk and niece Chang Si-ho, who are also key suspects in the scandal, also refused the Assembly's demand to attend the hearing.
They all cited health problems and on-going trials.
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The hearing is part of the Assembly's ongoing investigation into the scandal, which is being conducted separately from a probe by the prosecution, and one to be conducted by an independent counsel expected to start this week.
The Choi sisters and Chang were originally scheduled to testify before the Assembly over allegations that Choi Soon-sil, who was indicted on Nov. 20, exerted undue influence on state affairs and conglomerates, despite not holding any official position in the administration. The older Choi and her daughter are also suspected to have benefited from this.
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