South Korea’s Supreme Court orders retrial for ex-president Park

South Korea’s top court on Thursday set aside former President
Park Geun-hye’s convictions in the sprawling scandal that saw her
ousted from power and ordered the case to be heard again.

Park was convicted in April last year on bribery and abuse of
power charges and sentenced to 24 years, later extended for an
additional 12 months.

But the Supreme Court ruled that separate verdicts should have
been reached on the bribery counts.

“We send the case back to the Seoul High Court,” said chief
justice Kim Myeong-su.

Park’s first trial lasted 10 months and highlighted shady links
between big business and politics in South Korea, with Park and her
close friend Choi Soon-sil accused of taking bribes from corporate
bigwigs in exchange for preferential treatment.

Park, now 67, boycotted most of the proceedings in protest at
being held in custody.

Ultimately she was convicted in April 2018 of receiving or
demanding more than $20 million from conglomerates, sharing secret
state documents, “blacklisting” artists critical of her policies,
and firing officials who resisted her abuses of power.

South Korean media warned that Thursday’s ruling might not work
out in her favour, as if she is convicted again in two separate
verdicts she could face a longer total sentence in total.

The daughter of assassinated dictator Park Chung-hee, Park took
office in 2013 as a conservative icon who cast herself in the role
of daughter of the nation — incorruptible and beholden to none.

Less than four years later she had been impeached, stripped of
all her powers and ousted from office on the back of months-long
mass protests that brought millions onto the streets across the
country.

Her left-leaning successor Moon Jae-in was swept to power by the
public backlash against her and her conservative party.

(AFP)