SEOUL, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- South Korean prosecutors said Friday that they may insert President Park Geun-hye's criminal charges in indictment for her longtime confidante and two former aides expected on Sunday.
An official at the special investigative unit of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in charge of the case told a press briefing that Park's "criminal charges" could be in question in executions for Choi Soon-sil, the president decades-long friend suspected of intervening in state affairs behind the scenes, and two former presidential secretaries.
The official was quoted by local media outlets as saying that though the prosecution office didn't fix the president's status as the accused in this case, Park is an important reference witness and her criminal charges could be in question.
Prosecutors had informed Park of being investigated as a reference witness no later than Wednesday, but Park's attorney delayed it to next week. The prosecution office postponed its face-to-face questioning of the scandal-hit president to Friday, but it didn't happen.
President Park is grappling with the political scandal surrounding Choi, who has been arrested for alleged charges of meddling in government affairs though she has no public position and peddling undue influence for personal gains. Two former presidential aides have also been detained for helping Choi abuse power.
The three are forecast to be criminally indicted on Sunday. A special prosecutor would continue to investigate the case as rival political parties agreed to a bill on the independent counsel appointment earlier this week.
If Park's criminal charges are mentioned in the indictment, the president's status could be changed into a criminal suspect, according to local media reports.
The first South Korean female leader's biggest political crisis since her inauguration in February 2013 is snowballing as even a day doesn't pass without a new speculation by local news organizations.
Park's approval rating stayed at 5 percent for three weeks in a row, the lowest for any South Korean president, according to a weekly survey of Gallup Korea, local pollster.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to take to the streets in Seoul and major cities nationwide on Saturday, the fourth mass rally on the weekends since the scandal burst into a rage last month.
The embattled president is trying to normalize state affairs, appointing new vice ministers and foreign missions earlier this week. Park on Wednesday ordered a thorough investigation into a corruption scandal involving the tourism complex development in the southern port city of Busan.
The presidential office said Park will participate in the tripartite summit meeting with China and Japan, which is predicted to be held in Tokyo next month, if schedules are fixed.
The president is widely believed to chair a cabinet meeting next Tuesday, when major government policies would be approved such as the military intelligence pact with Japan and the special prosecutor bill on the Choi Soon-sil case. It would become Park's first presiding over the cabinet meeting in over a month.
