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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean prosecutors said on Wednesday that they intended to bring criminal charges against a longtime friend of President Park Geun-hye who is the central figure in a scandal engulfing her administration.
The prosecutors said they would charge the friend, Choi Soon-sil, who has been detained for questioning since Monday, with influence peddling, abuse of power and attempted fraud. In seeking a warrant for Ms. Choi’s formal arrest, the prosecutors told a court in Seoul, the capital, that she had used her influence with Ms. Park to coerce large companies into donating nearly $70 million to two foundations she controlled.
They also said she had been assisted in that plan by a former senior aide to Ms. Park, Ahn Chong-bum. Mr. Ahn, who resigned over the weekend, presented himself to prosecutors on Wednesday for questioning. He said he would take responsibility for any wrongdoing, but he did not respond to reporters who asked whether Ms. Park had instructed him to help Ms. Choi.
South Korean news outlets have been reporting for weeks that Ms. Choi, 60, who has known Ms. Park since the 1970s, is deeply involved in state affairs despite having no government job or background in policy. In a televised address last week, Ms. Park, whose office had denied the reports, acknowledged that Ms. Choi had edited some of her speeches and apologized to the country.
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Ms. Choi’s father was the leader of a religious sect and a mentor to Ms. Park, and many South Koreans have come to believe that Ms. Choi also wields influence over the president. Ms. Park’s polling numbers have reached record lows, and thousands of people demonstrated during the weekend calling for her resignation or impeachment.
Earlier Wednesday, Ms. Park tried to recover from the scandal by replacing the prime minister, the No. 2 official in her government, as well as two other cabinet ministers. But the opposition parties that constitute a majority in Parliament said they would not approve the appointments. Opposition lawmakers said a more drastic government shake-up was needed to rebuild public trust, and they demanded that Ms. Park submit to questioning by prosecutors.
Prosecutors declined to say whether they planned to question the president.
The South Korean news media has said that Ms. Choi, in addition to coercing donations from businesses, helped her associates win lucrative government contracts. On Wednesday, in accusing her of attempted fraud, prosecutors said a private company Ms. Choi owns, The Blue K, had tried in vain to use phony business transactions to steal funds from one of her two nonprofit foundations and divert them to her company.
Ms. Park has long been accused of insufficient transparency in her government and of relying too heavily on a few trusted advisers, and the reports of Ms. Choi’s influence have fed into that criticism. But her family background is also a factor in the scandal.
Ms. Choi’s father, Choi Tae-min, who died in 1994, was the founder of an obscure sect called the Church of Eternal Life. Mr. Choi befriended Ms. Park in the 1970s, when her father, Park Chung-hee, was South Korea’s military dictator.
According to a report from South Korea’s intelligence agency at the time, which referred to Mr. Choi as a “pseudo pastor,” he convinced Ms. Park that he could communicate with her dead mother, and he used his ties with her to extort funds from businesses and government officials. Mr. Choi denied the extortion accusations, and Ms. Park has also denied them.
The prosecutors said they would charge the friend, Choi Soon-sil, who has been detained for questioning since Monday, with influence peddling, abuse of power and attempted fraud. In seeking a warrant for Ms. Choi’s formal arrest, the prosecutors told a court in Seoul, the capital, that she had used her influence with Ms. Park to coerce large companies into donating nearly $70 million to two foundations she controlled.
They also said she had been assisted in that plan by a former senior aide to Ms. Park, Ahn Chong-bum. Mr. Ahn, who resigned over the weekend, presented himself to prosecutors on Wednesday for questioning. He said he would take responsibility for any wrongdoing, but he did not respond to reporters who asked whether Ms. Park had instructed him to help Ms. Choi.
South Korean news outlets have been reporting for weeks that Ms. Choi, 60, who has known Ms. Park since the 1970s, is deeply involved in state affairs despite having no government job or background in policy. In a televised address last week, Ms. Park, whose office had denied the reports, acknowledged that Ms. Choi had edited some of her speeches and apologized to the country.
Receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services.
SEE SAMPLE PRIVACY POLICY
Ms. Choi’s father was the leader of a religious sect and a mentor to Ms. Park, and many South Koreans have come to believe that Ms. Choi also wields influence over the president. Ms. Park’s polling numbers have reached record lows, and thousands of people demonstrated during the weekend calling for her resignation or impeachment.
Earlier Wednesday, Ms. Park tried to recover from the scandal by replacing the prime minister, the No. 2 official in her government, as well as two other cabinet ministers. But the opposition parties that constitute a majority in Parliament said they would not approve the appointments. Opposition lawmakers said a more drastic government shake-up was needed to rebuild public trust, and they demanded that Ms. Park submit to questioning by prosecutors.
Prosecutors declined to say whether they planned to question the president.
The South Korean news media has said that Ms. Choi, in addition to coercing donations from businesses, helped her associates win lucrative government contracts. On Wednesday, in accusing her of attempted fraud, prosecutors said a private company Ms. Choi owns, The Blue K, had tried in vain to use phony business transactions to steal funds from one of her two nonprofit foundations and divert them to her company.
Ms. Park has long been accused of insufficient transparency in her government and of relying too heavily on a few trusted advisers, and the reports of Ms. Choi’s influence have fed into that criticism. But her family background is also a factor in the scandal.
Ms. Choi’s father, Choi Tae-min, who died in 1994, was the founder of an obscure sect called the Church of Eternal Life. Mr. Choi befriended Ms. Park in the 1970s, when her father, Park Chung-hee, was South Korea’s military dictator.
According to a report from South Korea’s intelligence agency at the time, which referred to Mr. Choi as a “pseudo pastor,” he convinced Ms. Park that he could communicate with her dead mother, and he used his ties with her to extort funds from businesses and government officials. Mr. Choi denied the extortion accusations, and Ms. Park has also denied them.
