The parliamentary committee in charge is preparing to conduct a hearing at local detention centers this week in order to put uncooperative key witnesses on record.

At the center of attention is Choi Soon-sil, the president’s longtime friend who allegedly used her high-profile connection to exert influence on state affairs and reap personal benefits.

The special parliamentary probe committee Sunday made preparations to hold an on-site hearing at the Seoul Detention Center starting from 10 a.m. Monday, according to officials.

The center, located in Uiwwang, Gyeonggi Province, is where key suspect Choi has been kept in custody since late October.

Choi, who earlier attended the court’s pretrial and underwent the independent counsel’s questioning, has absented herself from the five parliamentary hearings held so far, citing poor health and mental distress.

Unlike the special prosecutor team and court, however, the parliamentary committee does not have the ability to summon witnesses against their will.

Two former presidential officials, An Chong-bum and Jeong Ho-seong, have also been called to take the stand, but like Choi, their attendance still remains uncertain.

The parliamentary committee’s plan is to have An and Jeong brought from their detention center in western Seoul to the Seoul Detention Center for the day, to exert pressure on Choi. But they are also considering visiting the two centers separately, if the two former Blue House figures resist the summons.

However, concerns persist that the parliamentary hearing will draw out little from the reticent culprits and that the task of finding the truth will eventually go to the special prosecutors.

Another challenge for the legislature, apart from the stalemate in its probe, is the mounting pressure that it should move on from the corruption scandal and pay more attention to economic issues.

Rival parties have recently been gesturing at holding a provisional session early next year, as the ruling Saenuri Party’s factional feud has halted all parliamentary discussions this month.

The Saenuri also agreed that a supplementary budget may be necessary to add momentum to the nation’s stalled economy.

Meanwhile, reformists of the divided Saenuri camp are expected to exit their party Tuesday to create a new conservative political entity.

Their key task is to gather at least 35 lawmakers -- according to an early proclamation -- and hopefully raise the number to 38 or more, in which case they would outnumber the People’s Party to become the third-largest party in the National Assembly.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heradcorp.com)


koreaherald@heraldcorp.com