South Korean prosecutors arrested the culture minister on Saturday for suspected involvement in drawing up a blacklist of artists, writers and entertainers critical of President Park Geun-hye amid a graft scandal that led to her impeachment.

Cho Yoon-sun became the first sitting minister ever to be arrested, the special prosecutor's team, investigating the scandal, said.

The country has gripped by crisis for months, and Park could become the first democratically elected leader to be removed from office if her impeachment by parliament is upheld by the Constitutional Court.

Seoul Central District Court said on Saturday in a text message to reporters that minister Cho was arrested because her crime had been "verified and there were concerns over destruction of evidence".

The special prosecutor's office on Wednesday asked the court to issue warrants to arrest Cho and a former presidential chief of staff on suspicion of abuse of power and perjury.

The former chief of staff, Kim Ki-choon, was also arrested.

The same court on Thursday refused to grant an arrest warrant for the head of Samsung Group [SAGR.UL], the country's largest conglomerate, on charges of bribery, embezzlement and perjury amid the corruption scandal.

The reprieve for Jay Y. Lee, 48, may only be temporary, as the prosecutors said they would pursue the case.

The prosecution team questioned Cho and Kim this week over allegations that they created the blacklist of actors, writers and other cultural figures considered critical of the current administration, which both have publicly denied.

Park has been accused by legal authorities and lawmakers of putting pressure on the entertainment industry in retaliation against satirical attacks and criticism. The allegations have evoked bad memories of the oppression suffered when Park's late father, Park Chung-hee, ruled the country. [L4N1F81T1]

BLACKLIST? WHAT BLACKLIST?

The presidential Blue House denies that such a blacklist exists. Culture Minister Cho has said many times that she has heard reports of such a list but that she had nothing to do with it.

Cho did not respond to reporters on Friday at the court to attend a hearing on her arrest warrant.

Park was impeached by parliament in December after accusations that she colluded with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back the president’s policy initiatives.

Park, 64, remains in office but has been stripped of her powers while the Constitutional Court decides whether to uphold the impeachment.

The special prosecutor's office said on Friday it summoned Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Executive Vice President

Hwang Sung-soo for questioning. It did not elaborate.

Samsung Electronics is the flagship company of Samsung Group and is the world's top manufacturer of smartphones, memory chips and flat-screen televisions.

A Samsung Group spokesman declined to comment. Hwang was not available for comment.

The special prosecutor's office is investigating whether the

conglomerate paid bribes to Park's confidant, Choi Soon-sil, to

win support from the National Pension Service for the 2015

merger of two Samsung Group affiliates.

Park and Choi have denied wrongdoing. Samsung has acknowledged making contributions to entities

controlled by Choi but has denied accusations of lobbying to

push through the merger.

In another scandal indirectly affecting South Korea, the United States has asked South Korea to arrest a brother of former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on charges that he engaged in a bribery scheme to carry out the sale of a Vietnamese building complex.

Ban, who is ranked second in opinion polls among potential candidates for South Korean president, said in Seoul he knew nothing about the case but issued an apology for family members who have caused public concern.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Nick Macfie & Simon Cameron-Moore)

Published Date:2017-01-21