In an exclusive KBS report, the presidential office of former President Park Geun-hye has been confirmed to have exerted pressure on the police not to investigate a sex scandal involving former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hae-ui in 2013.

Kim was appointed vice justice minister in March 2013 under the Park government but resigned six days later amid allegations that he received sex favors from women hired by a local construction contractor seeking business favor.

KBS has discovered that at the time, Park's presidential office had called Kim Hae-bae, then director of the criminal investigation bureau at the Korean National Police Agency to put pressure not to investigate the vice minister's case.

A police official who was handling the case reportedly said that a few days after the call, then superintendent Park Kwan-cheon at the office of presidential secretary for civil affairs visited the director and said President Park was not comfortable about the police pursuing the probe.

The former presidential official denied the allegations, saying that he never visited the police agency to interfere in the investigation.