Choi Soon-sil, woman at center of political scandal, returns to S. Korea

By Park Sae-jin Posted : October 30, 2016, 09:49 Updated : October 30, 2016, 09:49
SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of President Park Geun-hye, suspected of peddling influence and interfering in state affairs, returned home Sunday after nearly two months of hiding in Europe, prosecutors said.

"Choi Soon-sil voluntarily returned to South Korea at 7:30 a.m. through a British airline from Heathrow Airport in Britain," a senior prosecutor said.

Choi's legal representative said she will hold a press conference later in the day.

The woman, who holds no governmental post, is suspected of meddling in state affairs by using her decades of friendship with the president.

The return came a day after prosecutors raided homes of presidential aides suspected of being involved in the scandal, as the investigators accelerated their probe into the case.

On Tuesday, the president apologized in a nationally televised address over allegations raised against her and the confidante, admitting to the leak of dozens of presidential speeches to Choi before they were made public
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