Former ROK presidential aide arrested in political scandal
The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s prosecutors have detained a former aide to President Park Geun-hye, a prosecution official said on November 3, the second person to be held in an influence peddling scandal that has rocked the country's presidency.
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Prosecutors have said they are looking into allegations that the former senior adviser, An Chong-bum, and Choi Soon-sil, a long-time friend of the president, forced ROK conglomerates to donate funds to non-profit foundations using their connections with the president.
An, who was a senior presidential adviser in policy coordination until he stepped down late last month amid the growing political crisis, was detained late on November 2. He earlier told reporters outside prosecution offices that he would take responsibility for his actions but declined to elaborate.
An's lawyers were not immediately available for comment on November 3. Prosecutors placed him under emergency detention, worried that he could destroy evidence, the prosecution official told Reuters.
Under ROK law, prosecutors have 48 hours to seek an arrest warrant from a court.
On November 2, Park replaced her prime minister and finance minister, a reshuffle denounced by political opponents as a bid to divert attention from a crisis that has pushed her approval rating to an all-time low.
