Scandal-hit Park says willing to accept probe

"If necessary, I am ready to agree to (a prosecutors' probe) sincerely and even accept a probe by an independent counsel," Park said in a nationally televised address.

Park apologized to the nation, saying, "I offer you a whole-hearted apology once again for causing unspeakable deep disappointment and concerns to you."

"I like to candidly acknowledge my faults and seek forgiveness from you," she said.

Prosecutors late Thursday night arrested the confidante, 60-year-old Choi Soon Sil, amid allegations that she meddled in state affairs and used her relationship with the president for financial gains.

The scandal has stirred a national outcry, triggering street protests calling for Park's resignation and an investigation into her affairs.

Park said that management of state affairs should never be halted at a time when the country faces a grave national security threat and the economy is in a difficult situation.

"The term of office for a president is limited but the Republic of Korea should be carried on for good," she said.

She urged the nation to let the prosecution clarify the truth in the scandal and punish those found responsible, adding that it is necessary to prevent a chaotic situation and a vacuum in state affairs.

Park previously apologized, on Oct. 25, to the nation over an alleged leak of her speeches and documents, including some related to sensitive policy issues, to Choi, the daughter of Park's late mentor Choi Tae Min, widely known as a leader of a questionable religious group.

On Thursday night, private presidential secretary Jeong Ho Seong was detained on suspicion of leaking confidential documents to Choi. The day before, Ahn Jong Beom, the senior secretary for policy coordination, was detained after being questioned at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Park's address comes after she named a new prime minister and chief of staff with ties to liberal presidents of the past earlier this week.

The opposition immediately rejected Park's nomination of Kim Byong Joon, a university professor and former presidential secretary during former President Roh Moo Hyun's administration, as the new prime minister.

In its reaction to Park's address, the main opposition party criticized her for "being hopeless in understanding the situation" and threatened to launch a campaign to expel the president unless Park accepts its demands.

In a news conference, Choo Mi Ae, head of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Park should accept a probe by an independent counsel that will be appointed not by the president herself. She also criticized the address as being "no more than a statement of regret lacking sincerity."

The opposition leader also demanded that Park withdraw her nomination for the prime minister and name one recommended by parliament.

The approval rating for Park, whose five-year single term ends in 16 months, has tumbled to just 5 percent, according to a Gallup Korea survey. It is the lowest result level of support in the poll since the country's transition to democracy in 1987.

Source: Kyodo