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.

VW agrees new U.S. settlement, Actelion still in focus. For more see…

SEOUL, Dec 21 Daily net trading in shares on South Korea’s main stock exchange by three major categories of investors as of 0720 GMT, in billions of South Korean won : FOREIGNERS INSTITUTIONS RETAIL December 21 *78.1 -69.4 -7.7 ^December 20 60.6 -29.1 -33.5 December 19 5.0 -79.5 78.8 December 16 * Said on Tuesday had acquired a commercial property portfolio, the transition of benefits and burdens is planned for the second quarter of 2017

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.

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.