South Korean President's confidante Choi Soon Sil placed under emergency detention

SEOUL (REUTERS) - The woman at the centre of a scandal that has plunged the South Korean presidency into crisis was held for a second day on Tuesday (Nov 1) after being detained overnight to answer allegations of exerting inappropriate influence in state affairs.

Prosecutors have said they are investigating whether Choi Soon Sil used her friendship with President Park Geun Hye to gain access to classified documents that enabled her to influence government matters and benefited personally through non-profit foundations.

The growing scandal has sparked public anger and sent Park's approval rating to a record low, with thousands of protestors gathered in Seoul on Saturday night calling for her to step down. Park accepted the resignations of eight of her top aides over the weekend.

Choi, 60, arrived at the prosecutor's office on Tuesday morning in handcuffs and a surgical mask and wearing a dark coat, escorted by correctional officers. A prosecution official and her laywer said she had been detained late on Monday.

Although Choi was being questioned at another location, a man used a heavy construction excavator to smash the front entrance of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office building in Seoul, injuring a security guard, in an apparent act of protest against Choi. He was arrested by police.

According to Han Jeung Sub, a senior official at the Seocho Police Station, the 45-year-old man told police: "Choi Soon Sil said she had committed a crime she deserves to die for, so I came here to help her die."

Prosecutors have asked eight banks for documents related to Choi's financial transactions, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, citing unnamed financial industry officials.