This will be park geun-hye's first public appearance after his arrest at the end of March, and it will also be the second time that a former South Korean president has sat in the dock after more than 20 years. The whole South Korea is holding its breath.
National concern
Yonhap News Agency reported that the Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to hold the first public hearing on park geun-hye's bribery case this morning 10 (9: 00 Beijing time). Park geun-hye was accused of conspiring with South Korean Cui Shunshi to accept bribes from big consortia such as Samsung Group and Lotte Group, and demanded bribes from SK Group, totaling 59.2 billion won (about 52.7 million US dollars).
It is reported that when he arrived at the court, park geun-hye was not wearing a prison uniform, but a badge with the No.503 prisoner number.
A South Korean cable TV station quoted an anonymous detention center source as saying that park geun-hye had a TV set in her room, but she hardly watched TV or newspapers to avoid being disturbed. During her detention, only the defense lawyer and a few visitors could see her. She spent most of her time reading an English dictionary.
Park geun-hye, 65, will be the third former South Korean president to be publicly tried on corruption charges. The top two are Lu Taiyu and Quan Douhuan. Park geun-hye Trial Court No.417 of Seoul Central District Court is the same place where Quan Doo-hwan was sentenced to death for coup. Shortly after park geun-hye's father park chung-hee was assassinated, Quan Douhuan staged a military coup.
Be tried in the same court
According to Yonhap News Agency, park geun-hye met Cui Shunshi, a 40-year-old bosom friend, and they didn't make eye contact. This is the first time since Cui Shunshi went to Germany in September last year that the two met after a lapse of eight months.
Earlier this month, the court held a preliminary hearing on the case. Park geun-hye doesn't have to appear in court and is represented by a defense lawyer, but the defendant needs to be present at the formal trial. This trial will be her first time to face the public. In addition to the court, she will also face the "torture" of the Korean people. Agence France-Presse reported that after the trial date was announced, hundreds of people took part in the draw for the audience on the day of the trial.
Park geun-hye's team of defense lawyers has always said that she knew nothing about Cui Shunshi's alleged illegal activities, did not provide assistance for the transfer of internal management rights of Samsung Group as stated in the prosecution's indictment, and never directly asked Korean companies to "donate" nearly 70 million US dollars to two "non-profit" foundations controlled by Cui Shunshi.
Cui Shunshi had previously denied all allegations of taking bribes and soliciting bribes. However, the prosecution believes that park geun-hye and Cui Shunshi divided up these illegal gains, and Cui Shunshi also received monetary reward for facilitating the transfer of the management right of Samsung Group.
The second formal trial will be held two days after the first trial, when park geun-hye will be the only defendant required to attend. This is because the court has completed the trial of another defendant, Cui Shunshi, and will review the written evidence related to the charges against Cui Shunshi. According to the general procedure, the trial of this case may take several months.
be thoroughly discredited
Park geun-hye's parents both died in politics. She inherited the political legacy of creating the "miracle of the Han River" in the Korean economy when park chung-hee was in power, stepped onto the stage of the 20 12 general election with the tragic image of an orphan, and successfully entered Cheongwadae. Unexpectedly, she finally fell into the hands of "cronies" and lost her reputation. In March this year 10, park geun-hye became the first president in Korean history to be impeached and stepped down. On April 17, the prosecution formally sued park geun-hye.
Park geun-hye's main rival in the general election five years ago, Moon Jae in, was elected as the new president on May 9th. After taking office, he said that he would thoroughly investigate the incident of "cronyism" in order to "settle" the long-standing abuses of the park geun-hye government.