Woman in S. Korea scandal detained

SEOUL, South Korea — Telling reporters Monday that she “deserves death,” the woman at the center of a scandal roiling South Korea met prosecutors examining whether she used her close ties to President Park Geun-hye to pull government strings from the shadows and amass an illicit fortune.

“Please, forgive me,” Choi Soon-sil, a cult leader’s daughter with a decades-long connection to Park, said through tears inside the Seoul prosecutor’s building, according to Yonhap news agency. Using a common expression of deep repentance, she added, “I committed a sin that deserves death.”

Yonhap and other media later reported that Choi had been detained, and that prosecutors planned to seek an arrest warrant for her. Calls to the prosecutor’s office were not immediately answered.

Choi, wearing a hat and a scarf, her hand pressed to her mouth, was nearly knocked off her feet several times earlier in the day as she tried to walk through a crowd of 300 journalists, as well as protesters and security, surrounding the building.

The scandal exploded last week when, after weeks of speculation, Park acknowledged that Choi had edited some of her speeches and provided public relations help. Widespread media reports say that Choi, who has no official ties to the administration, may have had a major role in government affairs.