Choi Soon-sil Probe

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The special counsel probe into the Choi Soon-sil scandal has begun in earnest by raiding the offices of the National Pension Service and the Health Ministry. The special counsel is determined to investigate the merger between Samsung C&T Corporation and Cheil Industries to determine whether the Samsung Group gave out bribes.

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After 20 days of preparations, the special counsel's team has begun its duties in earnest, first targeting the Samsung Group. The team on Wednesday raided the offices of the National Pension Service and the Ministry of Welfare and Health, which played a decisive role in the merger between Samsung C&T Corporation and Cheil Industries to help Samsung Group Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong inherit Samsung from his father and grandfather. The special counsel team is trying to determine whether the National Pension Service's agreement to the merger, which took place in July last year, had anything to do with Samsung's provision of over six million U.S. dollars to Choi Soon-sil's family. The investigators will apparently focus on finding evidence that Samsung, Choi Soon-sil and President Park conspired with each other, as the search warrant states "third-party bribery" as a reason for the search. Sources say that the special counsel team has found evidence that Samsung Group Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong convened an emergency meeting shortly after having a one-on-one meeting with President Park in July last year, and that three days later Samsung Electronics President Park Sang-jin left for Germany to provide aid to Choi Soon-sil's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra. The search warrant also states "embezzlement" as a reason for the search, meaning that the special counsel may have obtained evidence that the National Pension Service approved the controversial merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries despite its unlawfulness. The special counsel team plans to raid the homes of Health Ministry officials to find out what role President Park played in the decision-making process of the National Pension Service.