Special Prosecutor hoping finish all questioning of Pres. Park at once

Posted on : 2016-12-16 12:59 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Additional questioning is still possible, and start date of Park’s investigation still undecided
Special prosecutor Park Young-soo talks with reporters at his office in Seoul’s Gangnam district
Special prosecutor Park Young-soo talks with reporters at his office in Seoul’s Gangnam district

The special prosecutor investigating the Choi Sun-sil scandal hinted on Dec. 15 that although he hoped to finish up questioning of President Park Geun-hye all at once, she could face additional questioning.

The message from special prosecutor Park Young-soo reads as a warning that while he may extend some courtesy to Park Geun-hye as a sitting president, the Blue House should also forgo the uncooperativeness it showed toward the prosecutors’ investigation team and approach his investigation with sincerity. The special prosecutor’s team also took preliminary steps for the full-scale operation of its investigative team with a travel ban on former presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon, who is facing abuse of power allegations.

“We will work to help the public escape the Choi Sun-sil mire as soon as possible,” Park Young-soo said in a talk with reporters that day. When asked about the time and methods of Park’s questioning, he replied, “We can’t very well question the President three or three times. We need to make thorough preparations and try our best to finish the questioning in one go.”

But he went on to leave some room for additional questioning, saying it could take place “at most twice.” The message is that the special prosecutor could insist on additional questioning if the President continues denying or claiming not to know about allegations.

On the location for the questioning, Park Young-soo said it would be held at the Blue House or a third location.

“There are many security issues with the President coming [to the special prosecutor’s office]. We intend to be courteous,” he said.

Previously, the special prosecutor’s team pressed for what it claimed was a necessary additional search and seizure of the Blue House.

“We plan to consider [forcible investigation] as needed in the investigation process, whether we’re talking about the Blue House or somewhere else,” said aide Lee Gyu-cheol in a briefing.

Another source with the team explained, “The Blue House can refuse to allow a search and seizure, so we‘re considering how to use the maximum authority granted by the special prosecutor act in a way the public will understand.”

While the prosecutors’ special investigation headquarters did conduct three searches and seizures on the Blue House, it restricted its approach to receiving documents voluntarily delivered to them at the gates.

The team remained reticent on the investigation start date, saying it plans to hear a legal interpretation from the Justice Ministry. With a short investigation period of 70 days, it remains unclear on whether acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn will cooperate with his authority to grant a 30-day extension. Park Young-soo indicated that he plans to take full advantage of the 20 days of preparatory time granted by the special prosecutor’s law, before embarking on a full-scale, comprehensive investigation - including possible searches and seizures - on Dec. 20 or 21.

“We’re going to start the investigation aggressively, with questioning of suspects and witnesses. This is not going to be an investigation that goes in just one direction,” he warned.

At the same time, he also suggested recent statements made by some witnesses at hearings by the National Assembly‘s special parliamentary investigation committee for the Choi government interference case conflicted with investigation records examined by his team.

“Some of them were lying about very obvious things,” he said.

Recently, the team imposed travel bans on Kim Ki-choon, who previously attended the hearings; Kim Young-jae, the head of an eponymous clinic who is suspected of receiving preferential business treatment with undisclosed treatment of President Park; and former Green Cross I-Med director Kim Sang-man, who was Park’s consulting physician.

By Kim Nam-il, staff reporter

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