South Korean Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun and ex-presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon were arrested Saturday, in a boost to prosecutors who failed to secure a warrant to detain Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong earlier in the week.
Cho and Kim are accused of being behind a cultural blacklist targeting thousands of artists deemed critical of President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached last month.
Seoul Central District Court decided to approve the arrests on the weight of evidence against the pair, according to local news agency Yonhap – the opposite outcome from the case against Samsung's vice chairman, although investigators are still probing wider claims of power abuse involving corporations and the presidential office.
While Kim has consistently denied knowledge of any blacklist, Cho admits she was made aware of it last year.
The culture minister is the scandal’s most senior figure to be arrested, although she resigned later in the day. Park is protected by her position for now as the Constitutional Court is yet to rule on her impeachment.
In the meantime, Seoul's special prosecution is expected to closely examine Park's possible involvement in the effort to target critical artists.
The blacklist’s alleged purpose was to withhold support for perceived dissenters, including star names like award-winning author Han Kang and film director Park Chan-wook.