Seoul — A high-flying prosecutor, who was demoted under impeached former president Park Geun-hye, is overseeing the case against her as Park made her first appearance in court on Tuesday to face criminal charges over the corruption scandal that ousted her. Yoon Seok-youl was demoted for defying his boss’s order to back off a 2013 investigation into Seoul’s spy agency over its suspected efforts to illegally support Park’s 2012 presidential bid. At the time, leading a special investigation team, Yoon pressed on with the probe anyway, arresting spy agency officials and raiding their offices. Yoon was subsequently suspended from the investigation and demoted to relatively trivial posts outside of Seoul. Handpicked by new liberal President Moon Jae-in last week to head the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Yoon now oversees the case against Park, who was arrested in March over charges she took bribes from big business leaders. On Tuesday, Park denied any wrongdoing and pleaded ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.