S Korean minister resigns after arrest over arts blacklist

SEOUL: South Korea’s culture minister resigned after being arrested on Saturday for allegedly creating a “blacklist” of nearly 10,000 artists who voiced criticism of impeached President Park Geun-Hye.

Cho Yoon-Sun, who is the first minister in active service to be arrested in South Korea, is accused of creating the vast catalogue to starve the artists of government subsidies and private investments and place them under state surveillance.

The list’s existence has sparked widespread anger, raising the spectre of Seoul’s 1960-80s army-backed rule -- including under dictator Park Chung-Hee, the impeached leader’s late father -- when the news, arts and entertainment were heavily censored.

Shortly after her arrest, Cho tendered her resignation to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn, a spokesman for the prime minister’s office said.

The Seoul Central District Court had issued a warrant to arrest Cho on charges of abuse of authority and perjury following a request from prosecutors.

Cho, 50, known as “Park’s Cinderella”, is a staunch loyalist of the impeached president and previously served as the minister for gender equality.

The court also issued an arrest warrant for Kim Ki-Choon, a powerful former chief of staff for Park. Kim is accused of ordering Cho to create the list of “left-leaning” artists.

Kim, 78, a former top intelligence official, came under fire for his alleged involvement in human rights abuses committed under Park’s father.

“Charges are verified... and there are risks of the accused seeking to destroy evidence”, a court judge said in a statement issuing the warrants for Cho and Kim. Some Korean media reports have alleged that Park asked for the blacklist to be drawn up, while others said she approved it. Prosecutors questioned Cho and Kim as part of their probe into a wider political scandal involving Park and her confidante, Choi Soon-Sil, who is currently on trial for abuse of power and coercion.

Park stands accused of colluding with Choi to coerce top local firms including Samsung to “donate” nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations Choi later used for personal gain.

She is also accused of letting Choi, who has no title or security clearance, meddle in a wide range of state affairs including nomination of senior officials.

Park was impeached by parliament last month and Seoul’s Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the validity of the motion, with the frequency of hearings sparking speculation that it might reach a verdict before mid-March. The scandal has already seen more than a dozen former senior officials and presidential aides arrested.

But the Seoul Central District Court this week rejected a prosecution request for the arrest of Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong -- who is accused of bribing Choi in a bid to seek governmental favours -- citing lack of evidence.

The scandal has brought huge numbers of protesters onto the streets every Saturday over the past three months, urging the Constitutional Court to verify Park’s impeachment and her immediate departure from office. Protestors, whose number was estimated at 150,000 by organisers, braved icy weather and slippery roads for a rally in Seoul Saturday, demanding Park’s removal and the arrest of Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong, accused of being involved in the bribery scandal.