South Korean President Park Geun-Hye today agreed to be questioned in a formal corruption probe, portraying herself as an over-trusting leader who dropped her guard with a close friend arrested for fraud. In a highly personal televised address to the nation, Park said the scandal involving her long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil was her fault, but denied reports linking her and Choi to a religious cult.
The scandal has shattered public trust in Park’s presidency, and a new Gallup poll showed her approval rating had plummeted to just five percent, an all-time low for a sitting South Korean president.
A formal investigation is focused on allegations that Choi, 60, leveraged her close relationship with Park to coerce local firms into donating large sums to dubious non-profit foundations that she then used for personal gain.
South Korea’s constitution does not allow a sitting president to be prosecuted, but some senior officials have suggested questioning as part of a wider investigation is permissible.