Lawyer: Prosecutors threatened Park’s confidant during probe

Choi Soon-sil, center, the jailed confidante of impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye, arrives at the office of the independent counsel in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Prosecutors plan to question Park and search her office by early next month over a huge corruption scandal. AP

SEOUL, South Korea — A lawyer for a jailed woman at the center of a South Korean political scandal says prosecutors had threatened to “annihilate” her family and used other abusive language during questioning.

The woman, Choi Soon-sil, a longtime friend of President Park Geun-hye, has been arrested for allegedly interfering in state affairs and extorting money from businesses. Park was impeached last month over the scandal and the Constitutional Court is reviewing whether to formally end her rule.

Choi created a stir Wednesday by shouting to reporters when she was brought to the office of prosecutors. Choi called the investigation unfair and said she had been forced to confess untrue things about her relationship with Park.

Her lawyer, Lee Gyeong-jae, said Thursday that prosecutors used “shocking” language that abused Choi’s human rights./rga