Ex-President Park sentenced to 24 years in prison

Park Geun-hye / Korea Times file

People watch a live broadcast of the court's ruling on former President Park Geun-hye at Seoul Station's passenger terminal, Friday. Park was sentenced to 24 years in prison and fined 18 billion won on 16 corruption charges. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

# Verdict summary

- Former President Park Geun-hye sentenced to 24 years' jail, fined 18 billion won on 16 charges.

- Park convicted of 16 of 18 charges against her.

- Park convicted of power abuse to extort money from companies to set up two non-profit foundations under her friend's control.

- Park found guilty of pressing Hyundai Motor to sign a deal with KD Corporation, a company run by a close friend of Park's friend Choi Soon-sil.

- Park acquitted of power abuse relating to forcing Hyundai Motor to run ads for Choi's company.

- Park convicted of pressing Lotte Group to donate 7 billion won ($6.55 million) to the K-Sports Foundation, a non-profit foundation run by Choi.

- Park found guilty of forcing telecom company KT to hire Choi's close friend and sign a deal with an ad company run by another of Choi's friends.

- Park convicted of pressing steelmaker POSCO to sign a deal with The Blue K, a company run by Choi.

- Park convicted of power abuse to extort 1.6 billion won from Samsung to fund a foundation under her friend's control.

- Park convicted of an attempt to sack CJ Group vice chairwoman.

- Park convicted of leaking 47 confidential presidential documents to Choi.

- Lotte's 7 billion won donated to a foundation run by Park's friend was a bribe to Park. The money was sent to Choi, but given the Park-Choi relationship, the money is considered a bribe to Park via Choi.

- Park convicted of pressing SK Group to donate 8.9 billion won to the K-Sports Foundation, a non-profit foundation run by Choi.

- Park acquitted of forcing Samsung to fund 21.3 billion won for Choi's equestrian daughter.

- Samsung's 3.64 billion won donation to Core Sports, a foundation run by Choi, was a bribe to Park given the Park-Choi relationship.

- Park convicted of forcing Samsung to offer Choi's equestrian daughter free horses, cars and training material.

- Park found guilty of power abuse for sacking ranking out-of-favor government officials.

- Park acquitted of accepting illegal requests from Samsung over company's leadership succession.

- Park convicted as a collaborator in the compilation of a "blacklist" of out-of-favor cultural figures and cutting state support for them.

- Park convicted of power abuse over promotion of a Hana Bank official who provided inappropriate favors to Choi.

(Written by Park Si-soo)

Former President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years in prison and 18 billion won in fine on Friday in a massive corruption scandal that toppled her from power early last year.

In a live televised trial, the Seoul Central District Court meted out the guilty verdict for the 66-year-old former leader, about a year after her arrest in late March of 2017.

Park was convicted of 16 counts of corruption, including bribery, coercion and abuse of power. Prosecutors had demanded a 30-year jail term.

South Korea's first female president, who took office in early 2013, became the nation's first elected head of state to be ousted and now the third former leader to be convicted of corruption.

The scandal led to a parliamentary impeachment of Park in December 2016. She was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court on March 10 the following year.

Park did not appear in Friday's sentencing trial. She has been boycotting the hearing in protest of the court's October decision to extend her incarceration six months. (Yonhap)

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