S. Korea President Agrees To Be Quizzed In Scandal Probe

SEOUL, Nov 4, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 04th Nov, 2016 ) - South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Friday agreed to be questioned by prosecutors as she sought to distance herself from a close personal friend at the centre of a corruption scandal engulfing her administration.

In her second address to the nation in 10 days, Park acknowledged that she had "allowed my guard to drop" around long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil who was formally arrested Thursday on charges of fraud and abuse of power, and also stands accused of meddling in affairs of state.

But the president denied some of the more lurid reports concerning her relationship with Choi, who the media has portrayed as a Rasputin-like figure who wielded an unhealthy influence over Park and involved her in cultish religious activities and shamanist rituals.

The scandal has shattered public trust in Park's presidency, which has more than a year left to run, triggering large street protests, calls for her resignation and a major reshuffle of her senior ministers and top advisers. A new Gallup poll published Friday put her approval rating at just five percent -- an all-time low for a sitting South Korean president.