South Korea’s Park rejects wrongdoing in scandal, says she was…

South Korean President Park Geun-hye speaks during a meeting with reporters at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, in this handout picture provided by the Presidential Blue House and released by Yonhap on January 1, 2017. Blue House/Yonhap via South Korean President Park Geun-hye listens to a reporters’ question during a meeting with reporters at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, in this handout picture provided by the Presidential Blue House and released by Yonhap on January 1, 2017.

S. Koreans demand president’s removal on New Year’s Eve

Even on New Year’s Eve, large crowds of South Koreans were expected to join another rally demanding the ouster of impeached President Park Geun-hye, who’s determined to restore her powers through a court trial. Hundreds of thousands were expected to participate in the evening marches near Seoul’s presidential palace and the Constitutional Court.

South Korean ruling party splits over impeached president

Dozens of lawmakers split from South Korea’s ruling party Tuesday over the corruption scandal involving impeached President Park Geun-hye in a move that could shape presidential elections that might take place in just months. The 29 anti-Park lawmakers who left the Saenuri Party planned to create a new conservative party that will likely try to lure outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as its presidential candidate.

Seoul to confiscate passport from daughter of key figure in residential scandal

South Korea’s foreign ministry said Thursday it will soon initiate the process of confiscating the passport of the daughter of Choi Soon-si, the long-time friend of President Park Geun-hye, who faces charges for meddling in state affairs. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to swiftly issue an order for the return of Chung Yoo-ra’s passport, and if it is not returned before a deadline, it will take steps to annul it,” ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said in a press briefing.

Seoul investigators seek to detain daughter of Park’s friend

Investigators looking into an explosive corruption scandal surrounding impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye are seeking to detain the daughter of Park’s longtime confidante who faces criminal charges for allegedly extorting companies and manipulating state affairs. A German prosecution official on Thursday told South Korean media that Germany will cooperate with South Korean investigators in their search for Yoora Chung, the daughter of Park’s jailed friend Choi Soon-sil, who is believed to be staying in Germany.

Old papers shed new light on South Korea deal with Lockheed Martin

Letters to former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il from South Korean President Park Geun -hye are shedding light on how Park navigated inter-Korea relations during her years as a lawmaker. The letters and draft documents, obtained by South Korean magazine Weekly Kyunghyang in March and October, are being considered again from a different perspective in the wake of the political scandal that has culminated in Park’s impeachment and the trial of her influential friend Choi Soon-sil.

Old papers shed new light on South Korea deal with Lockheed Martin

Letters to former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il from South Korean President Park Geun -hye are shedding light on how Park navigated inter-Korea relations during her years as a lawmaker. The letters and draft documents, obtained by South Korean magazine Weekly Kyunghyang in March and October, are being considered again from a different perspective in the wake of the political scandal that has culminated in Park’s impeachment and the trial of her influential friend Choi Soon-sil.

South Korean court to hold first impeachment hearing on Thursday

South Korean President Park Geun-hye speaks during an emergency cabinet meeting at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, December 9, 2016. Yonhap/ via South Korea’s Constitutional Court will hold its first hearing in the impeachment case of President Park Geun-hye on Thursday with initial opinions from both sides, an official said on Tuesday.

Friend of South Korea’s Park denies charges on first day of trial

Choi Soon-sil, a long-time friend of South Korean President Park Geun-hye who is at the center of the South Korean political scandal involving Park, arrives for her first court hearing in Seoul, South Korea, December 19, 2016. Korea Pool/via Choi Soon-sil , a long-time friend of South Korean President Park Geun-hye who is at the center of the South Korean political scandal involving Park, arrives for her first court hearing in Seoul, South Korea, December 19, 2016.

Russian military plane crashes in Siberia, 23 hospitalized: agencies

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that one of its planes had crashed in northeast Siberia, but that nobody had been killed in the accident, Russian news agencies reported. The Defence Ministry Ilyushin Il-18 aircraft made an emergency landing 30 kilometers from an airfield near the town of Tiksi in the Sakha Republic at 4:45 a.m. local time, the TASS news agency reported.

Ap Photos: Editor selections from the past week in Asia

In this Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, share a light moment during their visit to the Kodokan judo hall in Tokyo. Russia and Japan agreed Friday to hold talks on joint economic development on four islands at the center of a territorial dispute between the countries.

S. Korea begins trial of confidante of disgraced president

Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of disgraced South Korean President Park Geun-hye, center, appears for the first day of her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. less Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of disgraced South Korean President Park Geun-hye, center, appears for the first day of her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 19, … more Choi Soon-sil, the jailed confidante of disgraced South Korean President Park Geun-hye, center, appears for the first day of her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016.

Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro postpones currency move after chaos, protests

Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has suspended the elimination of the country’s largest denomination bill, which had sparked cash shortages and nationwide unrest, saying the measure would be postponed until early January. The surprise pulling of the 100-bolivar note from circulation this week – before new larger bills were available – led to vast lines at banks, looting at scores of shops, anti-government protests and at least one death.

Supporters, opponents of embattled Park stage big rallies in Seoul

Supporters of South Korean President Pak Geun-hye rallied on Saturday for her reinstatement while opponents gathered to repeat their demands that the leader impeached over a corruption scandal step down immediately. A banner bearing images of South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her father, the late South Korean former military dictator Park Chung-hee, is seen as they attend a protest opposing her impeachment near the constitutional court in Seoul A woman cries while praying for the South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment to be accepted, in front of the constitutional court in Seoul, South Korea, December 17, 2016.