South Korean President Park Geun-hye's office says the results of an interim investigation by prosecutors are "regrettable." The investigation team suspects Park of having conspired with her long-time confidant and former aides to commit multiple crimes.
"Today, the special investigation team of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office made a claim as if the president had committed a grave crime when it announced the result of its investigation. The prosecutors' announcement was deeply regrettable," said Jung Youn-kuk, spokesman of South Korean presidential office.
Jung says President Park will prove her innocence by actively cooperating with an investigation by a special prosecutor. The South Korean parliament has approved a bill to appoint a special prosecutor, who will conduct a separate and more wide-reaching probe.
The spokesman's comments follow the prosecutors' announcement that Park was complicit, "to a significant extent," with her decades-long friend, Choi Soon-sil, and two former presidential aides, who have been indicted on criminal charges. Park's presidency has been rocked by allegations that Choi used her ties to the president to meddle in state affairs and wield improper influence. The president has resisted calls for her resignation.