Ousted South Korean president guilty of corruption, gets 24 years in prison

A South Korean court on Friday jailed former president Park Geun-hye for 24 years over a scandal that exposed webs of corruption between political leaders and the country's conglomerates.

Park became South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced from office last year when the Constitutional Court ordered her out over a scandal that landed the heads of two conglomerates in jail.

The court also fined Park, the daughter of a former military dictator, $22 million Cdn, after finding her guilty of charges including bribery, abuse of power and coercion.

"The defendant abused her presidential power entrusted by the people, and as a result, brought massive chaos to the order of state affairs and led to the impeachment of the president, which was unprecedented," Judge Kim Se-yoon said as he handed down the sentence.

Boisterous protest in Seoul in support of ex-president Park

7 years ago

Duration 1:04

Ex-South Korean leader sentenced to 24 years on corruption charges

Up to 1,000 Park supporters gathered outside the court,holding national flags and signs calling for an end to"political revenge" against her.

The court found Park guilty of colluding with her oldfriend, Choi Soon-sil, to receive about $8.4millioneach from Lotte Group, a retail giant, and Samsung, theworld's biggest maker of smartphones and semiconductors, whiledemanding $10.6 million from SK, an energy conglomerate.

Most of the money was intended to bankroll non-profitfoundations run by Choi's family and confidants, and to fund the education of Choi's horse-riding daughter, the court said.

Prosecutors sought a 30-year sentence and a $145-million fine for Park.

'No sign of repentance'

Park, 66, who has been in jail since March 31 last year, hasdenied wrongdoing and was notin court.

The judge said Park had shown "no sign of repentance," buthad instead tried to shift the blame to Choi and her secretaries.

"We cannot help but sternly hold her accountable," Kim said.

Park apologized while in office for seeking help from Choi,who had no policy or political experience, but that was as closeas she came to admitting any guilt.

Kang Chul-koo, one of Park's state-appointed lawyers, saidhe would discuss with her the possibility of an appeal.

"We tried our utmost but regret the result turned out verybad," Kang told reporters at the court."The truth will be revealed one day."

The sentence will be a bitter blow for Park, who returned tothe presidential palace in 2012 as the country's first woman
leader, more than three decades after she left it following theassassination of her father.

'We will not forget today'

Her ouster from office last year led to a presidential election won by the liberal Moon Jae-in, whose conciliatory stand on North Korea has underpinned a significant warming of ties between the rival neighbours.

Moon's office said Park's fate was "heartbreaking" not onlyfor herself, but for the country, and added that history that wasnot remembered would be repeated.

"We will not forget today," the office said.

Park is the latest former leader of South Korea to run afoulof the law.

Two predecessors, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, wereconvicted in 1996 of mutiny, treason and corruptionand sentenced to long prison terms, but both received presidentialpardons and were freed after a couple of years.

Moon took office pledging to end the practice ofpardoning public and corporate officials convicted ofcorruption.

Park's friend, Choi, was convicted and jailed for 20 yearsafter a separate trial in February.