SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s latest political scandal has all the makings of a thriller in which the decisions of the president, lonely and isolated, are influenced by a longtime friend, right down to personnel and policy moves, even what to wear.

Making it even more twisted is that the friend’s father, a cult leader, used similar Rasputin-like control on President Park Geun-hye’s father when he held the top office until he was assassinated in part because of that unhealthy relationship.

Toss in some Viagra, visits to a detox clinic under a pseudonym, a deadly ferry sinking and mass protests even as neighboring North Korea threatens apocalyptic attacks.

In a country where corruption probes have plagued other leaders, this one has gripped the populace and paralyzed the government as the 64-year-old president tries to find the least-humiliating path to step down. She has immunity from criminal charges, but a parliamentary vote on impeachment looms Friday.

The friend, Choi Soon-sil, has been charged with using her connections to persuade companies to donate more than $70 million to two nonprofit foundations that she runs.

But it’s not the money that has hit a nerve. South Koreans are angry over the increasingly outrageous details that have emerged about the influence Choi wielded in the halls of power.

“The most frustrating thing is that the real president was Choi Soon-sil, who is just a normal person without any official authority,” pollster Erica Lee said.

Park has denied wrongdoing but acknowledged allowing Choi to edit some of her most important speeches. The leader apologized three times on nationwide live TV for showing poor judgment, but that has failed to stop hundreds of thousands of protesters from flooding streets in Seoul and other major cities for six weeks in a row.