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South Korea
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South Korean court upholds 20-year prison term for ex-president Park Geun-hye over corruption

  • The ruling means Park, who was ousted from office and arrested in 2017, potentially serves a combined 22 years behind bars
  • Park, who says she’s a victim of political revenge, has refused to attend her trials since October 2017 and did not attend the latest ruling

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Park Geun-hye arrives for a trial at the Seoul Central District Court on February 27, 2018. File photo: Xinhua
Associated Press
South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 20-year prison term for former President Park Geun-hye over bribery and other crimes as it wrapped up a historic corruption case that marked a striking fall from grace for the country’s first female leader and conservative icon.
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The ruling means Park, who was ousted from office and arrested in 2017, potentially serves a combined 22 years behind bars, following a separate conviction for illegally meddling in her party’s candidate nominations ahead of parliamentary elections in 2016.

But the finalising of her prison term also makes her eligible for a special presidential pardon, a looming possibility as South Korea’s deeply-split electorate approaches the presidential election in March next year.

President Moon Jae-in, a liberal who won the presidential by-election following Park’s removal, has yet to directly address the possibility of freeing his predecessor.

But at least one prominent member of Moon’s Democratic Party, chairman Lee Nak-yon, has raised the idea of pardoning Park and another imprisoned former president, Lee Myung-bak, who’s serving a 17-year term over his own corruption charges, as a gesture for “national unity”.

Park, 68, has described herself a victim of political revenge. She has refused to attend her trials since October 2017 and did not attend Thursday’s ruling.

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Supporters of a far-right opposition party hold a rally to call for the acquittal of former President Park Geun-hye on January 14, 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE
Supporters of a far-right opposition party hold a rally to call for the acquittal of former President Park Geun-hye on January 14, 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE

The office of Moon, who has recently seen his approval rating sink to new lows over economic problems, political scandals and rising coronavirus infections, did not have an immediate response to the ruling.

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