Live broadcast of Park Geun-hye's sentencing trial to take place tomorrow
- 6 years ago
Today-- a court in Seoul will deliver its verdict on disgraced, former president Park Geun-hye over the massive corruption and power abuse scandal that led to her ouster last year.
And in a first for Korea,... the sentencing,... scheduled to begin at 2:10 PM, Korea time,... will be televised live across the country.
Won Jung-hwan reports.
Faced with 18 charges including bribery, abuse of power and leaking state secrets,... three decades in prison may mean that Park, who is 66 years old, spends the rest of her life behind bars.
In February,… South Korean prosecutors demanded former President Park Geun-hye serve 30 years in jail for her role in the massive corruption scandal that led to her impeachment and fall from grace.
Park's sentencing trial by the lower court will take place Friday afternoon, and for the first time in South Korea's history, the sentencing of a former president will be broadcast live.
The live broadcast has become possible after the Supreme Court amended the rules last year to allow live broadcasts in certain circumstances, and if the hearing is of public interest.
"In the past, Choi Soon-sil and Lee Jae-yong refused the live broadcast,… and the court accepted it because they thought the individual loss will be much greater than the public gain. But in the case of former President Park Geun-hye,… the decision to broadcast the trial live has become possible due to her public status as the country's former president... and overall public interest."
But according to the professor, the impeached former president is unlikely to attend her trial,... as she has been boycotting court proceedings since last October.
"Park has been continuously questioning the fairness of the trial, and has expressed she is against the live broadcasting of the entire hearing. Considering all of these things together, I don't think the former president will attend tomorrow's trial."
Park Geun-hye was removed from office last year on the back of a massive influence-peddling scandal.
She is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for political favors for a number of the country's biggest conglomerates such as SK, Samsung, and Lotte.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
And in a first for Korea,... the sentencing,... scheduled to begin at 2:10 PM, Korea time,... will be televised live across the country.
Won Jung-hwan reports.
Faced with 18 charges including bribery, abuse of power and leaking state secrets,... three decades in prison may mean that Park, who is 66 years old, spends the rest of her life behind bars.
In February,… South Korean prosecutors demanded former President Park Geun-hye serve 30 years in jail for her role in the massive corruption scandal that led to her impeachment and fall from grace.
Park's sentencing trial by the lower court will take place Friday afternoon, and for the first time in South Korea's history, the sentencing of a former president will be broadcast live.
The live broadcast has become possible after the Supreme Court amended the rules last year to allow live broadcasts in certain circumstances, and if the hearing is of public interest.
"In the past, Choi Soon-sil and Lee Jae-yong refused the live broadcast,… and the court accepted it because they thought the individual loss will be much greater than the public gain. But in the case of former President Park Geun-hye,… the decision to broadcast the trial live has become possible due to her public status as the country's former president... and overall public interest."
But according to the professor, the impeached former president is unlikely to attend her trial,... as she has been boycotting court proceedings since last October.
"Park has been continuously questioning the fairness of the trial, and has expressed she is against the live broadcasting of the entire hearing. Considering all of these things together, I don't think the former president will attend tomorrow's trial."
Park Geun-hye was removed from office last year on the back of a massive influence-peddling scandal.
She is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for political favors for a number of the country's biggest conglomerates such as SK, Samsung, and Lotte.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.