Former South Korean President Park Sentenced to 24 Years in Jail

* Park guilty of bribery, coercion, power abuse, leaking
secrets
* Disgraced former leader can now appeal to a higher court

Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s first female president, was
sentenced to 24-years in prison after being found guilty of crimes
ranging from bribery to coercion, abuse of power and the leaking of
state secrets.

The sentence handed down by a panel of three judges at the Seoul
Central District Court was more lenient than the 30 years sought by
prosecutors. Park can appeal to a higher court.

Park, 66, who was impeached last year over an influence peddling
scandal that led to protests by hundreds of thousands of people on
the streets of the capital, didn’t show up at court. She denied
most of the allegations, head judge Kim Se-yoon said.

The judges concluded that Park colluded with Choi Soon-sil, a
longtime friend who has never held a government position, and
former aides to seek favors from leaders of the nation’s business
conglomerates, known in Korean as chaebol.

The court accepted the prosecutors’ argument that she pressured
top executives to donate tens of millions of dollars to foundations
run by Choi in return for government favors. Park also colluded
with her friend Choi to help her daughter get financial support
from Samsung Electronics Co. for her equestrian training, the court
said.

QuickTake: South Korea’s Chaebol

Citing a lack of evidence, the judges rejected prosecutors’
allegations that Park sought bribes from Samsung in return for
government help to solidify Jay Y. Lee’s control of the
conglomerate.

The ruling follows the arrest two weeks ago of her predecessor,
Lee Myung-bak, a conservative from the same party, over a separate
bribery case before and during his 2008-2013 term in office.

While the office of current liberal President Moon Jae-in denies
any involvement in the decisions, they come amid his push to wipe
out what he calls “deep-rooted evil” across society. The
president’s conservative rivals claim he’s motivated by political
revenge.

Supporters Gather
Park’s supporters — mainly older conservative voters — have staged
street demonstrations almost every weekend to protest against her
impeachment and imprisonment. Hundreds were gathered outside the
court on Friday.

As the first daughter of Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country
from 1963 until his assassination in 1979, her name is divisive in
South Korea. While her father was brutal in suppressing democratic
activities, many older supporters credit him for leading the nation
from the ashes of the Korean War to become Asia’s fourth-biggest
economy.

Park and Lee are not the only South Korean leaders to have been
sent to prison. In the 1990s, former dictator Chun Doo-hwan was
sentenced to death, and his successor, Roh Tae-woo, received a 22
1/2-year term after the pair were found guilty of creating slush
funds and inciting a coup. Both were later pardoned.

Culled from Bloomberg

* Park guilty of bribery, coercion, power abuse, leaking
secrets
* Disgraced former leader can now appeal to a higher
court

Park Geun-hye, South Korea’s first female president, was
sentenced to 24-years in prison after being found guilty of crimes
ranging from bribery to coercion, abuse of power and the leaking of
state secrets.

The sentence handed down by a panel of three judges at the Seoul
Central District Court was more lenient than the 30 years sought by
prosecutors. Park can appeal to a higher court.

Park, 66, who was impeached last year over an influence peddling
scandal that led to protests by hundreds of thousands of people on
the streets of the capital, didn’t show up at court. She denied
most of the allegations, head judge Kim Se-yoon said.

The judges concluded that Park colluded with Choi Soon-sil, a
longtime friend who has never held a government position, and
former aides to seek favors from leaders of the nation’s business
conglomerates, known in Korean as chaebol.

The court accepted the prosecutors’ argument that she pressured
top executives to donate tens of millions of dollars to foundations
run by Choi in return for government favors. Park also colluded
with her friend Choi to help her daughter get financial support
from Samsung Electronics Co. for her equestrian training, the court
said.

QuickTake: South Korea’s Chaebol

Citing a lack of evidence, the judges rejected prosecutors’
allegations that Park sought bribes from Samsung in return for
government help to solidify Jay Y. Lee’s control of the
conglomerate.

The ruling follows the arrest two weeks ago of her predecessor,
Lee Myung-bak, a conservative from the same party, over a separate
bribery case before and during his 2008-2013 term in office.

While the office of current liberal President Moon Jae-in denies
any involvement in the decisions, they come amid his push to wipe
out what he calls “deep-rooted evil” across society. The
president’s conservative rivals claim he’s motivated by political
revenge.

Supporters Gather
Park’s supporters — mainly older conservative voters — have staged
street demonstrations almost every weekend to protest against her
impeachment and imprisonment. Hundreds were gathered outside the
court on Friday.

As the first daughter of Park Chung-hee, who ruled the country
from 1963 until his assassination in 1979, her name is divisive in
South Korea. While her father was brutal in suppressing democratic
activities, many older supporters credit him for leading the nation
from the ashes of the Korean War to become Asia’s fourth-biggest
economy.

Park and Lee are not the only South Korean leaders to have been
sent to prison. In the 1990s, former dictator Chun Doo-hwan was
sentenced to death, and his successor, Roh Tae-woo, received a 22
1/2-year term after the pair were found guilty of creating slush
funds and inciting a coup. Both were later pardoned.

Culled from Bloomberg