South Korea prosecutors push to arrest ex-leader

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors said Monday they want to arrest former President Park Geun-hye for the corruption allegations that triggered a huge political scandal and toppled her from power.

Prosecutors said Park's alleged crimes were "grave," and that she should also be arrested because her alleged accomplice, confidant Choi Soon-sil, and other suspects in the scandal have been arrested.

Political analysts have said that arresting Park would also boost tensions and create a backlash from her conservative supporters ahead of an election in May to choose her successor.

Conservative supporters revere him as a hero who lifted a war-torn country from poverty while liberal critics remember him as a horrible human rights abuser who tortured and imprisoned his political rivals.