S. Korean Presidential Aides Raided in Scandal Probe
Local Editor
South Korean prosecutors Saturday raided the homes and offices of senior advisers to President Park Geun-Hye, as she struggled with a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving a close family friend.
The crisis centered around Park's long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil rocked her presidency, thanks largely to a lurid back-story involving talk of religious cults, shamanist rituals and corruption.
In Saturday's raids, prosecutors confiscated computers and documents from the homes of a top presidential adviser and two other aides as well as a deputy culture minister, Yonhap news agency said.
They also searched some offices in the presidential Blue House complex, Yonhap added.
The move came ahead of a mass protest in Seoul, organized after it emerged that Park allowed Choi, who has no official post or security clearance, to meddle in affairs of state.
Thousands of people were expected to turn out for the candle-lit demonstration and call on the president, whose popularity ratings have plunged to record lows, to step down.
Choi is being investigated for using her ties to Park to coerce money out of major conglomerates, but the real shock has been revelations that Park had allowed Choi to vet her presidential speeches and apparently advise her on crucial policy choices.
Park has publicly apologized and late Friday she told 10 of her senior advisers to tender their resignations ahead of a reshuffle of her presidential office.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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