Impeached S’Korean president apologises for corruption scandal

Park Geun-hye, ousted South Korean president, on Tuesday apologised to the country’s citizens after appearing in the prosecutors’ office for questioning over corruption allegations that led to her impeachment.

According to NAN, Geun-hye said she was sorry in front of the cameras at Seoul central district prosecutors’ office, vowing to face her interrogation faithfully.

“I am sorry to the people. I will faithfully cooperate with questioning,” Geun-hye said as she proceeded to the prosecutors’ office.

Geun-hye who has stayed in her private home since she vacated the presidential Blue House on March 12, was slammed with a total of 13 counts.

She will be interrogated by state prosecutors for her alleged involvement in the scandal, which removed her from office after the impeachment was passed in the parliament on December 9. The constitutional court upheld the motion on March 10.

During the interrogation, prosecutors would focus on Geun-hye’s alleged involvement in bribery, abuse of power and leakage of state secrets.

Geun-hye, 65, has been accused of colluding with her decades-long confidante Choi Soon-sil, who is now in custody, to receive tens of millions of US dollars in bribes from Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, the heir apparent of Samsung group.

The kickbacks are suspected of being offered in return for helping Lee inherit the overall management control of the country’s biggest family-controlled conglomerate from his ailing father Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who was hospitalised after a heart attack almost three years ago.

Geun-hye was also identified as an accomplice of Choi in helping solicit tens of millions of US dollars from scores of large business conglomerates to establish two non-profit foundations Choi used for personal gains.

Choi has been charged with meddling in state affairs behind the scenes by receiving government documents on a regular basis delivered by one of Park’s former presidential secretaries.

Geun-hye will be the fourth South Korean former president to be questioned by prosecutors.