South Korea's Constitutional Court judges (from left) Lee Jin-Sung, Lee Jung-Mi and Kang Il-Won attend a hearing into whether to confirm the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye, at the Constitutional Court in Seoul, yesterday.
Seoul: South Korea's Constitutional Court yesterday held its first preparatory hearing in the trial of impeached President Park Geun-hye, whom lawmakers voted to remove over an explosive corruption scandal that saw millions of people protest in past weeks.
The court confirmed it will hear allegations that Park colluded with longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil to extort money and favours from major South Korean companies and allowed Choi to interfere with government affairs from the shadows.
The court also said it would review accusations in the impeachment bill that Park was responsible for media restrictions and government inaction during a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people, mostly teenagers on a school trip.
After discussions with Park's lawyers and with lawmakers, who are the prosecutors at her impeachment trial, the court decided to summon as witnesses Choi and two former presidential aides.
Both were arrested earlier for allegedly helping Choi extort from companies and passing her confidential government information.
The court has up to six months to decide whether Park should permanently step down or be reinstated.
Her presidential powers are suspended until then, with the prime minister assuming the role of government caretaker.
The next preparatory hearing in Park's trial is scheduled on December 27.
Lawmakers, who have been grilling key suspects to the scandal in weekly hearings broadcast on live TV, plan to take their hearings on Monday to two detention centres where Choi and the two former presidential aides are being held in a desperate effort to question them.
The three suspects have refused to attend the hearings held at the National Assembly, citing health and other reasons.
An official from the investigation team led by special prosecutor Park Young-soo earlier said it had obtained a warrant to detain Chung and had asked for help from German prosecutors in finding Chung and obtaining evidence, such as financial transaction and phone records.
A German prosecution official told South Korean media that Germany will cooperate with South Korean investigators.
