Choi Soon-sil

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South Korea's Ex-Prez Found Guilty, Sentenced to 24 Years

'The defendant abused her presidential power entrusted by the people'

(Newser) - South Korea's former President Park Guen-hye has been sentenced to 24 years in prison, less than 13 months after she was forced from office amid a corruption scandal. Park, who was found guilty on charges including abuse of power, was also fined $17 million in a verdict that was...

Billionaire Samsung Heir Sentenced to 5 Years In Prison

Lee Jae-yong guilty of bribing former president

(Newser) - A South Korean court has sentenced the billionaire Samsung heir to five years in prison for bribery and other crimes that fed public anger leading to the ouster of Park Geun-hye as South Korea's president. The Seoul Central District Court said Friday that Lee Jae-yong , 49, was guilty of...

In South Korea, All Eyes on Inmate 503

'I don't have any occupation,' former president Park Geun-hye told the judge

(Newser) - Former President Park Geun-hye stared straight ahead in court Tuesday at the start of a criminal trial that could send South Korea's first female leader to prison for life. Police escorted Park, in handcuffs with her eyes downcast, into court for her first public appearance since she was jailed...

S. Korea's Humiliated Former President Faces a New Ordeal

Park Geun-hye is indicted on corruption charges and faces life in prison

(Newser) - South Korean prosecutors on Monday indicted ex-President Park Geun-hye on bribery, extortion, abuse of power, and other high-profile corruption charges that could potentially send her to jail for life, reports the AP . It is the latest in a series of humiliations for Park, who was impeached in December, stripped of...

Downfall of S. Korea President Is Complete

Park Geun-hye has moved out of presidential palace, is now open to prosecution

(Newser) - Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye left the presidential palace on Sunday, two days after the country's Constitutional Court removed her from office over a massive corruption scandal. South Korean television showed Park's motorcade leaving the Blue House and heading for her private home in southern Seoul, where...

With Its President Kicked Out, What's Next for South Korea?

2 die in protests after Park removed from office

(Newser) - South Korea's president was kicked out of office Friday after the country's Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment—and while much of the country is celebrating, loyal supporters are furious. At least two of them were killed in protest outside the court, reports Reuters. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is...

'Trial of the Century' Begins in S. Korea
'Trial of the
Century' Begins
in S. Korea
RUNDOWN
Mar 9, 2017 9:54 AM CST

'Trial of the Century' Begins in S. Korea

It'll be fierce, if first hearing is any indication

(Newser) - The "trial of the century" has begun in South Korea, where a vice chairman at Samsung Electronics faces bribery and embezzlement charges after allegedly giving $36 million to President Park Geun-hye and her close friend Choi Soon-sil in order to win government support for a 2015 merger. Lee Jae-Yong,...

Arrest Warrant Issued for Samsung Boss

Lee Jae-yong accused of embezzlement, bribery

(Newser) - In a departure from the leniency typically given South Korean big businesses, prosecutors on Monday requested the arrest of the de facto head of Samsung Electronics, the country's most valuable company, in an influence-peddling scandal that has toppled the country's president , the AP reports. Lee Jae-yong, the 48-year-old...

Next in South Korea Scandal: an Arrest in Denmark

Chung Yoo-ra, daughter of Choi Soon-sil, was arrested

(Newser) - South Korean prosecutors said Monday that the daughter of the confidante of impeached President Park Geun-hye has been arrested in Denmark, and that authorities were working to get her returned home in connection with a huge corruption scandal . Park was impeached last month by lawmakers amid public fury over prosecutors'...

S. Korea Leader Must Account for 7 Missing Hours During Tragedy

Rumors flying about Park's absence that day

(Newser) - South Korean President Park Geun-hye has many problems these days, but now a particularly volatile one in her home country is about to resurface in a big way. It boils down to this: What on earth was she doing on April 16, 2014, as a ferry carrying hundreds of young...

'Boy Toy,' Puppy Helped Bring Down S. Korea's Leader

Whistleblower in Park Geun-hye case says her secret adviser fought with him over dog

(Newser) - The impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, and the scandal surrounding it, all comes down to a canine. Park's downfall started over ties with Choi Soon-sil, a close friend for decades embroiled in criminal controversies and secretly advising Park—and who got into an argument with the eventual...

Thousands Rally to Demand South Korea's President Quit

Protesters accuse Park Geun-hye of treason

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of South Koreans poured into the streets of downtown Seoul on Saturday, using words including "treason" and "criminal" to demand that President Park Geun-hye step down amid an explosive political scandal, the AP reports. The protest came a day after Park apologized on live television...

S. Korean Leader Accepts Responsibility for Strange Scandal

Park Geun-hye says 'sad thoughts trouble my sleep'

(Newser) - South Korea's president bowed as she arrived at the podium and shook as she spoke. For nine minutes, she apologized, she expressed remorse, and she reached out for sympathy. In the face of nearly universal outrage among South Koreans, Park Geun-hye accepted full responsibility for an increasingly bizarre political...

Cult Leader's Daughter Arrested Amid Korea Crisis

Officials fear she might flee the country or destroy evidence

(Newser) - Choi Soon-sil, the cult leader's daughter at the heart of the political scandal engulfing South Korea, said Monday that she "deserves death." She was arrested instead. Reuters reports that Choi, who is accused of using her close ties to President Park Geun-hye to profit from influencing government...

Woman at Center of Korea Scandal: 'I Deserve Death'

Cult leader's daughter mobbed outside Seoul court

(Newser) - Telling reporters Monday that she "deserves death," the woman at the center of a scandal roiling South Korea met prosecutors examining whether she used her close ties to President Park Geun-hye to pull government strings from the shadows and amass an illicit fortune, the AP reports. "Please,...

S. Korean Leader Embroiled in Crazy, Mystical Scandal

President Park Geun-hye linked to adviser who is like a shaman

(Newser) - South Korea is embroiled in a complex political scandal that threatens to bring down President Park Geun-hye. Park has been caught seeking input on key speeches from Soon-sil, a personal friend with no official government position. Quartz describes Soon-sil as a cult-like figure, a "Rasputin-like mystery woman" who exerts...

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