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South Korea's presidential Blue House blocks search amid graft probe

Published 03/02/2017, 07:49
© Reuters. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye speaks during an address to the nation, at the presidential Blue House in Seoul
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By Ju-min Park and Christine Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's special prosecutor officials withdrew from the presidential Blue House on Friday after it blocked them from searching offices there in the latest development in a corruption scandal that has gripped the country for months.

A spokesman for the special prosecution later said it was considering seeking the cooperation of acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn in getting access to search the presidential office.

"According to criminal law, we arrived at the conclusion we cannot force our search if the subject refuses," a spokesman for the special prosecutor, Lee Kyu-chul, told a media briefing.

"However, we are thinking of making an official request to the acting president for cooperation, that the Blue House's denial of the search is inappropriate."

The Blue House said earlier the presidential offices could not be searched for security reasons and it would instead provide documents as requested by prosecutors.

Park has been impeached by parliament on suspicion of having colluded with a long-time friend, Choi Soon-sil, to pressure big business to donate to two foundations set up to back the president's policy initiatives.

Park is also accused of allowing Choi to exert inappropriate influence over state affairs.

Both Park and Choi have denied wrongdoing.

After the parliament vote, Park was stripped of her powers and her prime minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, has been acting president since then.

Television broadcaster YTN had said the special prosecutor's office had been seeking to search the offices of the Blue House chief of staff, as well as offices used by Park's bodyguard detail.

No raid has ever been successfully carried out on the Blue House.

Lee, the spokesman for the special prosecutor's team, said investigators would question the president in person, regardless of the outcome of their effort to search her office.

Prosecutors were also searching the offices of the Korea Fair Trade Commission and the Financial Services Commission in their investigation of Samsung (LON:0593xq) Group (SAGR.UL), whose leader, Jay Y. Lee, has been named a suspect in the scandal.

He has denied wrongdoing.

A Korea Fair Trade Commission spokesman confirmed that investigators were conducting a raid but did not comment on details. A spokeswoman for the FSC said prosecutors were making copies of documents and searching offices.

The FSC spokeswoman said the raid was linked to prosecutors' suspicion that the Samsung Group had provided bribes to Park and Choi for favours regarding its businesses.

© Reuters. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye speaks during an address to the nation, at the presidential Blue House in Seoul

If Park's impeachment is upheld by the Constitutional Court, she will become the first democratically elected leader in South Korea to be removed from office.

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