South Korea’s highest court has upheld former President Park Geun-hye’s 20-year prison sentence for her 2018 bribery conviction, ending a corruption scandal that has gripped the country for years.
The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed the lower court’s decision to sentence Park to 20 years in prison and levy an 18 billion won($16.37 million) fine for her part in a corruption case that cost her the presidency in 2017.
The former president was initially sentenced to 24 years in prison after she was found guilty on multiple counts of abuse of power, bribery and coercion.
The court also confirmed an additional forfeiture of 3.5 billion won.
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With Thursday’s ruling, Park will spend a total of 22 years in prison, as she was already sentenced in 2018 to two years in prison for illegally meddling in a nomination process within the then-ruling Saenuri Party.
Park Geun-hye is the fourth Korean president to go to prison, the others being Roh Tae-woo, Chun Doo-hwan and Lee Myung-bak. Her immediate predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, was sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined 13 billion won for embezzlement and bribery.
She is the fourth Korean president to go to prison, others being Roh Tae-woo, Chun Doo-hwan and Lee Myung-bak. Her immediate predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, was sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined 13 billion won for embezzlement and bribery.
