[Aju News DB]
A former presidential aide has been detained for passing classified files including speeches prepared by President Park Geun-hye to her long-time female friend accused of meddling in state affairs, prosecutors said Friday.
Jeong Ho-seong, 47, was placed under emergency arrest shortly before midnight Thursday. He was among a group of Park's confidants who resigned as presidential aides Sunday.
Jeong, who has long accompanied Park as her secretary in charge of speechwriting and personal affairs, is suspected of going between the disgraced president and Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of a corruption scandal that sparked widespread public anger and calls for the president's resignation.
Last week Park apologized for leaking her classified speeches to Choi, 60, accused of meddling in state affairs and embezzling money from two public foundations created with cash donations from dozens of conglomerates.
Ahn Jong-Beom, who also stepped down Sunday as a presidential aide, has been arrested for his alleged role in collecting money from conglomerates.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
