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By Jung Min-ho
Park Young-soo, the special prosecutor named to investigate the Choi Soon-sil scandal, said Friday he will investigate President Park Geun-hye's whereabouts during the crucial first seven hours after the Sewol ferry began sinking in 2014.
Speaking to reporters near his office in Seoul, the independent counsel said he will look into the "seven missing hours" as well as the President's other alleged crimes, including abuse of authority and bribery.
"The special investigation team will look into the seven missing hours as well," he said.
The Park administration was denounced for responding belatedly to the accident in which more than 300 passengers died after rescue operations failed.
Her mysterious absence has created a flurry of rumors, including that she was undergoing cosmetic medical procedures when the tragedy occurred on April 16, 2014.
To clear up all the key questions surrounding the President, the independent counsel said he will push for a face-to-face interrogation, which the prosecution failed to accomplish during its earlier investigation.
The special investigator made it clear that a written inquiry can't be an option. "Conducting the questioning through a written inquiry is like showing questions in advance before the test," he said. "She may say something meaningful by accident, which is why the questioning has to be done face-to-face."
Yet the special prosecutor said he will tread very carefully. "I'm going to start it all over after reviewing what has been collected through the investigation so far," he said.
He plans to develop his own — more solid — logical argument against the President, who expects will certainly deny the allegations against her. He said the prosecution's argument that she abused her power to force big companies to "donate" to the shady foundations, which were controlled by her friend Choi, doesn't appear strong enough.
"The President is expected to insist she just exerted her authority to help the culture industry flourish abroad. How to break that argument will be the key," he said. "I will try to focus on finding the very root of the problem, such as what forced the companies to cough up the money and how exactly the President influenced them."
If the special investigation team links bribery to the President, it could put her behind bars for more than a decade after her presidency ends. So far, she has been accused of crimes expected to result in shorter prison sentences, including abuse of authority and mishandling of state secrets, according to the prosecution.
Speaking of the widespread suspicion that a fringe religious group influenced the President, the special prosecutor said he also plans to uncover the truth behind the rumors. He noted he has been trying to recruit veteran lawyers who can help him solve the mystery.
Park Young-soo once again vowed to make a thorough investigation based on facts, saying anyone, including Prosecutor General Kim Soo-nam, can be investigated if new evidence is found.
Choi's daughter Chung Yoo-ra has stayed in Germany since the emergence of the scandal, despite many clues suggesting her involvement. On Friday, her school, Ewha Womans University, decided to cancel its admission of her and penalized university employees who gave her special favors in admissions and grading.
Park Young-soo said he will cooperate with German prosecutors to bring her back to Korea.
