The woman at the center of a political scandal that
has cast the South Korean presidency into crisis was detained late on Monday,
Yonhap News Agency reported, hours after she had arrived at the office of local
prosecutors to answer questions.
Prosecutors are investigating allegations that Choi Soon-sil
used her friendship with President Park Geun-hye to influence state affairs by
gaining access to classified documents and benefited personally through
non-profit foundations, a prosecution official said earlier.
Worried that Choi may be a flight risk and could destroy
evidence, prosecutors placed her under emergency detention without a warrant,
Yonhap reported, citing a prosecution official.
She was taken to a Seoul detention facility, Yonhap said.
Prosecutors and Choi's lawyer were not immediately available
for comment early on Tuesday morning.
Under South Korean law, a suspect can be held under emergency
arrest without a warrant for up to 48 hours. A longer detention requires an
arrest warrant issued by a court.
Choi begged forgiveness when she arrived to meet prosecutors
earlier on Monday.
In an interview with South Korea's Segye Ilbo newspaper
published on Thursday, Choi said she received drafts of Park's speeches after
Park's election victory but denied she had access to other official material,
or that she influenced state affairs or benefited financially.
Park said last week she had given Choi access to speech
drafts early in her term and apologised for causing concern among the public.
Thousands of South Koreans rallied in Seoul on Saturday night
demanding Park's resignation over the scandal.
Park is in the fourth year of a five-year term and the crisis
threatens to complicate policymaking during the lame-duck period that typically
sets in toward the end of South Korea's single-term presidency.
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