Park impeachment case underway in Seoul

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) - Suspended South Korean President Park Geun-hye began her legal battle to stay in office Thursday, although she left it to her lawyers to fight on her behalf at the Constitutional Court.

Park’s impeachment case got underway with a preparatory hearing, which allowed the court’s justices to clarify several important points for the months of wrangling ahead.

In addition to claims that the president allowed her now infamous confidante -- Choi Soon-sil -- to secretly steer state affairs and that they worked together to force donations from conglomerates, Park’s lawyers were also told she would have to account for her actions on the day of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster.

The president is yet to clear up questions about what she did over the course of a seven-hour window during the maritime tragedy, which claimed 304 lives.

“Even though two years have passed, most Koreans can vividly remember what they did that day considering the special circumstances... I ask [Park] to state where she was in [the presidential office], exactly what she did, what reports she received and what orders she gave,” Justice Lee Jin-sung was quoted as saying by The Korea Herald.

More than a dozen allegations listed in an impeachment motion passed by Seoul’s parliament Dec. 9 were trimmed down to five grounds for impeachment.

They were listed as: “disregard for people’s sovereign rights and rule of law, abusing presidential authorities, infringing upon freedom of press, violating duties to protect lives of people, and criminal activities including bribery”.

Park’s defense team was immediately hit by the court’s rejection of their request based on a legal technicality to block the use of evidence from an ongoing independent investigation.

Two key former aides who have already increased suspicions around the president were also chosen to appear as witnesses, with the next hearing set for next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, another vital former aide to Park denied any wrongdoing when making a belated appearance at a questioning session by lawmakers.

Woo Byung-woo’s whereabouts had been unknown for weeks before he agreed to show up at the National Assembly, though he disappointed his interrogators by refusing to acknowledge any link to the alleged corruption that has engulfed the presidential office.

But investigators were given a boost Thursday by German prosecutors, who agreed to help track down the daughter of Park’s confidante Choi -- 20-year-old Chung Yoo-ra is believed to be in Europe after leaving South Korea before her mother’s arrest.

With a detention warrant now hanging over her too, Chung stands accused of being one of her family’s prime beneficiaries of suspected pressure and influence-peddling.