The chief prosecutor in the impeachment trial, lawmaker Kweon Seong Dong, said Park (pronounced Bahk) abused her position by "broadly and gravely" violating the constitution to commit corruption and turn state affairs into a profit tool for her friend. The court had planned to hear testimony from four of Park's former and current aides suspected of helping Choi, but only one appeared. Besides the corruption allegations, the court will also hear accusations included in the impeachment bill that blamed Park for restrictions on media reporting and for government inaction during a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 passengers. Seo accused news organizations that reported on the scandal of demagoguery that he said threatens to make democracy "very dangerous," and compared Park's impeachment to the "unjust" deaths of Jesus Christ and ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.
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