Ms Park Geun-hye’s conviction draws a line under a massive corruption scandal that engulfed the country for most of last year. Alongside the 24 years jail term, Kim Se-Yoon, the trial judge, also slapped Ms Park with a fine of almost $17m.
The 66-year-old ex-president’s trial began last May but was delayed through the autumn as Ms Park refused to co-operate or attend the proceedings.
“The defendant showed no signs of self-reflection. She abused the power given to her by citizens,” says Kim Se-Yoon, the trial judge.
Ms Park is the fifth South Korean leader to be accused or convicted of graft in a country plagued by cronyism and abuse of power. Her father, former dictator Park Chung-hee, also met a sad demise. After ruling the country with an iron fist for almost 18 years, he was assassinated by his security chief during a banquet in 1979. His daughter, meanwhile, completed four years of her five-year term before being impeached following massive public protests against her government.
Also, her presidential predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, is currently in jail awaiting trial on allegations that he received bribes worth $10m from some of the nation’s biggest institutions, including Samsung Electronics and the National Intelligence Service.
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