S. Korean minister arrested over artist blacklist allegation
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — South Korean prosecutors on Saturday arrested President Park Geun-hye’s culture minister and her former top presidential adviser over allegations that they blacklisted artists critical of the government.
Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun and ex-presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon were allegedly involved in the drawing-up of a blacklist of thousands of artists and cultural figures to exclude them from government funding programs. Three other top former officials have already been arrested over the allegation.
The arrests of Cho and Kim came as the Seoul Central District Court approved prosecutors’ request to arrest them for alleged abuse of power and other charges.
The blacklist allegation surfaced as authorities widened their investigations into the explosive political scandal that led to Park’s parliamentary impeachment last month. The constitutional Court is reviewing whether to formally end Park’s rule and hold an election to replace her.