South Korea's special prosecutor on Monday indicted National Pension Service (NPS) Chairman Moon Hyung-pyo on charges of abuse of power and giving false testimony.

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The special prosecutor's office said in a text message it would provide further details in a regular briefing later on Monday.

Moon was arrested in December 2016 after acknowledging ordering the world's third-largest pension fund to support the $8 billion merger last year of two Samsung Group affiliates while he was head of the health ministry, which oversees the NPS.

On Monday, South Korea's special prosecutor's office said it was seeking a warrant to arrest the head of Samsung Group, the country's largest conglomerate, accusing him of paying multi-million dollar bribes to a friend of President Park Geun-hye.

Samsung Group chief Jay Y Lee was questioned for 22 straight hours last week as investigators probed a corruption scandal that resulted in parliament impeaching Park in December 2016. The special prosecutor's office accused Lee of paying bribes totalling 43 billion won ($36.42 million) Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president who is the woman at the centre of scandal. Lee was also accused of embezzlement and perjury in the prosecution's application for an arrest warrant.