South Korean ex-president Park gets 24 years in jail for abuse of power, bribery

A South Korean court has sentenced jailed former South Korean President Park Geun-hye to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws. Park became South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office last year when the Constitutional Court ordered her out over a scandal that exposed a web of corruption between political leaders and the country’s powerful conglomerates, or chaebol. The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Park, who has already received a 24-year jail term over separate corruption charges, colluded with her former aides to cause the loss of government funds worth about 30 billion won ($26.49 million) from the National Intelligence Service. The court separately sentenced Park to two years in prison for breaking election laws by meddling in her party candidate's nomination while attempting to win more spots for her loyalists ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2016. Following the earlier ruling in April, prosecutors appealed Park’s 24-year term on charges including bribery and abuse of state power and are now demanding 30 years in prison.
Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye is sentenced to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws.