Former President Park Geun-hye (Yonhap)

Park, who was impeached and arrested last year, faces a string of charges including bribery and abuse of power. The former president is also alleged to have allowed long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil to meddle in state affairs.

The decision was made by the three judges presiding over Park’s corruption trial, according to the Seoul Central District Court.

Park, 66, is set to face a verdict by the lowest court in the sentencing hearing scheduled for 2:10 p.m. on Friday.

Friday’s broadcast is to mark the first of its kind since the Supreme Court amended rules last year greenlighting a live broadcast of a trial if it is deemed necessary and of public interest.

“The judge panel decided to allow the live broadcast after taking into account various factors, including matters of public interest,” a court official said.

The equipment used to film the verdict will be provided by the court to keep order in the courtroom and avoid excessive media coverage, the official added.

The trial will be televised live despite Park’s disapproval — the former President submitted a hand-written letter to the court on Monday objecting to such coverage. The court is said to have overruled her request given the public attention to the trial.

But Park is unlikely to appear in court on Friday as she has been adamant in boycotting the trial sessions since October 2017 in protest of the court’s extension of her arrest warrant.

Previously, the court had denied requests to live broadcast trials of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Park‘s longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, both who are key figures in Park’s corruption scandal, citing the defendants‘ rights.

Lee was sentenced to five years in prison for offering bribes to Choi, but later had his convictions partly overturned on appeal.

State prosecutors have demanded a 30-year prison term for Park and a fine of 118.5 billion won ($111.7 million) for 18 charges, including receiving 59.2 billion won in bribes in collusion with Choi.

Friday‘s trial follows the court’s decision on Feb. 13 to sentence Choi to 20 years in prison for corruption and her role in the influence-peddling scandal that led to Park’s impeachment.

By Jung Min-kyung mkjung@heraldcorp.com)

The 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy, which killed 304 people — most of whom were school children on a trip — is considered one of South Korea’s deadliest disasters. More than half of the survivors, some 170 of them, were rescued by private fishing boats and commercial vessels, not by the nation’s coast guard.

The prosecution on Wednesday announced that four former aides of the now-ousted Park had been indicted for abuse of power and document falsification. The authorities believe the aides, including Park’s former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, deliberately fabricated the time Park had first been informed of the disaster, changing it from 10:20 a.m. to 10 a.m., as part of efforts to conceal her slow response on the morning the tragedy occurred.

Former President Park Geun-hye. (Yonhap)

The last KakaoTalk message from one of the victims in the ferry was sent at 10:17 a.m., and authorities believe by the time the former president was finally briefed on the accident at about 10:20 a.m., the situation had already been unrecoverable — making any rescue operation no longer possible.

While the prosecution concluded the former president was in her bedroom on the morning of the disaster, it is still unclear what she was doing in her room at the time, as well as the exact reason behind her inaction.

The ’7 hours’ mystery

The former President’s whereabouts on the day of the Sewol tragedy had been a controversial topic even while she was still in office. In spite of repeated public demands, the presidential office at the time refused to provide a clear explanation of why she had not been briefed in person on the accident for about seven hours, until she showed up at the disaster control center at about 5:15 p.m.

Her staff at the time only insisted she was attending to “official duties” at her residence in Cheong Wa Dae on the morning of the disaster. They did not offer any additional information, despite the families’ demands for details on what Park was doing for the seven hours on the day of the ferry’s sinking.

The sinking of the ferry Sewol is among South Korea`s worst peacetime disasters. (The Korea Herald file photo)

Rep. Woo Won-sik, the ruling Democratic Party’s floor leader, said the prosecution’s announcement — that the time log had been deliberately fabricated — is both “shocking and enraging.” He also demanded that the Liberty Korea Party, of which the former president used to be a member, should apologize to the victims’ families.

But the main opposition Liberty Korea Party initially said in response to the prosecution’s probe that it “feels sorry” for the ex-president and she does not deserve the amount of criticism she is receiving for her handling of the disaster.

“There have been so many malicious rumors about the whereabouts of the ex-president on the day of the disaster, including one that claimed she was receiving plastic surgery,” said the party’s spokesman Hong Ji-man. “She just needs to be criticized for what she did wrong (and does not deserve anything else).”

The party later retracted its statement and apologized for Hong’s remarks in the face of mounting criticism.

Victims’ families, on the other hand, demanded the former president’s public apology.

“I’m angry and at the same time find the result of the probe to be absurd,” Jang Dong-won, a father who lost his daughter to the Sewol tragedy, told reporters. “It’s just absurd that the Park administration has been deceiving us all along by concealing the truth.”

Sleeping disorder?

Some have suggested that Park may have been asleep in her bedroom on the day of the ferry incident, as documents show the former president may have suffered a sleeping disorder.

According to ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Sang-hee’s office, Cheong Wa Dae had purchased about 600 tablets of Circadin, a sleeping drug often used to treat patients in their late 50s or older with insomnia, in November and December of 2015. There is no record of the presidential office purchasing any sleeping drugs in 2014, the year the ferry disaster took place.

They speculate that Park had suffered insomnia throughout 2014, including on the day of the ferry incident, and finally decided to receive treatment in late 2015.

As her staff failed to provide a solid explanation for what she was doing as the ferry was sinking, Park became the subject of online attacks and rumors that year. For one, a Seoul-based, Japanese reporter published a column accusing her of having an affair with an unknown lover at a five-star hotel on the day of the disaster. Other rumors claimed her participation in cult worship or of receiving a cosmetic procedure, among others.

The former president never offered an apology on the specific matter, nor sought to explain properly.

Park was impeached last year in a dramatic corruption scandal, and has ceaselessly maintained her innocence while facing 18 charges, including abuse of power and bribery.

She has refused to attend any of her hearings and did not appear in court when prosecutors requested 30 years in prison for her in February. Earlier this month, she also refused to be interrogated by the prosecution on allegations her staff lied about the time at which she was first briefed of the sinking of the Sewol.

Park has claimed she is the victim of “political revenge.”

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)

The former presidential aides indicted in connection with the case are former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, and Kim Jang-soo and Kim Kwan-jin, who headed the National Security Office under Park. The suspects are accused of document falsification and damaging public documents. Former presidential secretary Yoon Jeon-choo was also indicted for perjury.

The sinking of the ferry Sewol. Yonhap

Following the 2014 deadly sinking of the Sewol ferry in waters off the southwestern island of Jindo, the Park administration fabricated the time Park was first briefed on the accident, according to prosecutors who looked into Park’s alleged negligence of duty that may have led to lax rescue actions.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors‘ Office announced the probe result Wednesday, saying the presidential office deliberately altered the time when the ex-president received the first report on the sinking from around 10:20 a.m. to around 10:00 a.m., during which the ferry had already begun sinking before 9 a.m. and completely went under water at 10:30, claiming a total of 304 lives.

Prosecutors found the National Security Office could not reach Park in time after they learned of the accident through the Coast Guard, delaying the administration’s official instruction for a rescue effort. Park gave the first instruction about the rescue at 10:22 a.m., prosecutors said, not 10:15 a.m. insisted by the previous administration.

It was also revealed by the probe that then National Security Office head Kim Kwan-jin deleted parts of the national crisis management guidelines without due legal process that specified the agency’s role as a “control tower” during national crisis situations, in an apparent attempt to avoid responsibility for the rescue failure.

The result shows, however, that no evidence suggests Park was involved in the time log fabrication.

The alleged mishandling of the Sewol sinking triggered massive street protests in late 2016, calling for Park’s impeachment who faced wide-ranging corruption allegations.

Park was ousted from office in March last year and is now on trial in custody for almost a year for multiple charges including bribery, coercion and abuse of power. Her verdict is due on April 6.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)

South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Friday ruled unanimously to remove President Park Geun-hye from office, the capstone of a sweeping corruption scandal that has engulfed the country for months.

“Hereby, in a unanimous decision, the court issues the verdict: the court rules to expel President Park Geun-hye,” acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi said in a nationally televised ruling.

With the decision, which is final and unchangeable, Park has become the nation’s first democratically elected leader to be ousted by impeachment. The nation now must hold a presidential election within 60 days, making it likely to fall on May 9.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who has been substituting for Park since her parliamentary impeachment on Dec. 9, will continue to lead the nation until the next leader is elected.

President Park retreats after addressing the nation over the Choi Soon-sil scandal in November last year. (Yonhap)

“Her violations of the law betrayed the public trust and they are too serious to be tolerated for the sake of protecting the Constitution,” said Lee who read out the verdict.

Park had abused her presidential authority to help her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil, who holds no government post, pursue personal gains, she added. Choi’s meddling in state affairs was extensive throughout Park’s entire time in office, and Park even attempted to conceal her wrongdoings when the scandal laid them bare.

“The interest of guarding the Constitution by firing her is judged to be overwhelmingly great,” she concluded.

Park offered no message of concession. Her Liberty Korea Party, however, accepted the decision and apologized to the public for its failure to assist the president as the ruling party.

Violence erupted near the court, as thousands of staunch Park supporters protested the ruling. They angrily reacted, shouting, shedding tears and even hitting police officers. Two died of injuries while protesting and the causes of their deaths are still unknown, the police said. Acting President Hwang, in a public statement, called on both supporters and opponents of the ousted Park to accept the ruling and restore national unity.

Park was impeached on a total of 13 charges, which the court bundled into five categories — bribery, abuse of authority, Choi’s manipulation of power behind the scenes, failure to protect people’s lives and violation of press freedom.

The court recognized Park’s active involvement in leaking government secrets to Choi and assisting Choi’s profit-making activities through public entities.

But it did not acknowledge Park’s other charges — her abuse of authority in sacking officials not in Choi’s favor, her negligence of duty in protecting people’s lives during the Sewol ferry disaster and her crackdown on press freedom.

One of Park’s lawyers for the impeachment trial called the ruling “biased.”
“Our suspicions about the court’s secret communications with the parliament turned out to be correct,” Seo Seog-goo, one of Park’s lawyers, told reporters. “I don’t think the trial was purely based on law and conscience.”

The parliament, which served as the prosecution in the impeachment trial, hailed the decision, adding the nation should now stand united.

“I believe that the ruling confirmed the rule of law and people’s sovereignty, which embodies that every person, even the president, is equal before the law. The owner of the country is the people, and all power comes from the people,” said Kwon Seong-dong, the chairman of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee.

“Those who held candles or national flags, they are all our people who we should respect and love. There is no victor or loser in this case,” he added.
President Park, who did not turn up at the courtroom throughout the trial, also did not attend the verdict hearing. She reportedly watched the ruling via TV at her residence in the presidential office.

Park’s departure is unlikely to put an end to the months-long crisis, which has caused the country to become deeply divided on generational and ideological lines in the face of the conservative leader’s impeachment.

While opponents of Park gear up to hold a rally to celebrate the result Saturday, Park’s die-hard supporters are set to pour onto the streets to condemn the top court.

Tensions ran high from Thursday evening near the court, as avid protesters for and against former President Park staged rallies in front of the building in last-bid attempts to make their voices heard.

The police raised the level of alert to its highest Friday, dispatching all forces available to mobilize in the nation’s capital. Scores of police buses and some 21,600 officers formed lines to cordon off the court and government offices from mass protests and possible eruptions of violence.

While a majority of the public heaved a sigh of relief and expressed joy at the Constitutional Court’s decision to finalize the impeachment of the disgraced leader, a smaller group of staunch Park supporters vehemently protested. Two died of injuries while protesting.

Park supporters shed tears (The Korea Herald)

Even before dawn, the tension was palpable near the top court in central Seoul, with the streets filled with protestors rallying for and against Park.

From 7:50 a.m., Park’s loyal supporters started to chant “reject the impeachment” and began singing Korean folk songs.

“I arrived here around dawn, as I was so worried that the eight justices may make a wrong decision, influenced by biased media and prosecutors,” a 63-year-old Park supporter, Shim Min-sik, told The Korea Herald.

Across the street, an estimated 1,000 anti-Park protesters held placards that read “We trust in you, the Constitutional Court,” “Impeach the President” and “Send Park to prison.”

When the verdict hearing commenced at 11 a.m., people on both sides of the street fixed their eyes on smartphone screens and listened closely, as the court’s acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi read the verdict for about 20 minutes.

As it became clear that the court’s decision was against Park, a loud clamor “We won!” and clapping rippled through the crowd on the anti-Park side.

Some shed tears of joy, shouting, “Democracy has won!”

Anti-Park protesters rejoice (The Korea Herald)

“We are one step closer to making Korea a true democracy. The Constitutional Court’s ruling was the same as what most people had expected,” said 53-year-old Kwon Hyuk-chul, who was clapping enthusiastically.

Just 100 meters away, across the street, others let out deep sighs, with a few elderly men tilting their heads and asking one another, “Did the court really say Park is expelled?”

The pro-Park protestors burst into a rendition of the national anthem in tears, chanting “We are one until the end.”

“I can’t believe they really impeached someone who did nothing wrong. This is complete nonsense,” a pro-Park supporter told The Korea Herald.

Later at around 1 p.m., a 72-year-old man surnamed Kim was found bleeding from his head on the ground during a violent street rally in central Seoul in protest against the Constitutional Court’s decision. He was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead there at around 1:50 p.m., according to the police.

The other man, also surnamed Kim, 60, was found unconscious at a subway station near the court at around 12:15 p.m., police said.

At least 10 more have been taken to hospitals for injuries as of Friday at 5 p.m., with two of them unconscious, the police said.

Pro-Park groups said that they will continue their protest, with a nonstop sit-in near the court. They also vowed to begin a signature-collecting campaign calling for Park’s reinstatement.

A man is injured (The Korea Herald)

The nation was on high alert Friday due to the historic ruling, which decided the fate of Park’s presidency amid a sharp divide among the public over what to do with her.

After the verdict was announced, acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn ordered heightened military and police vigilance to maintain public safety.

Police buses line up next to the Constitutional Court (The Korea Herald)

Some 21,000 police officers were dispatched near the court. A dozen police buses were lined up to block access to the Constitutional Court, the Blue House and other major locations of possible clashes. The police used tear gas, at one point after the verdict, to disperse angry demonstrators.

The anti-Park protesters, who have been holding candlelight vigils almost every Saturday evening since the scandal erupted in late October, gathered in Gwanghwamun Square at 7 p.m. to celebrate their victory.

They said they will hold the last candlelight vigil on Saturday at 4 p.m., ending the monthslong campaign to expel Park on a high note.

Chae Young-hyun, one of the lucky 24 who was invited to the courtroom in an online random selection, said he felt gratitude at being able to witness the historic scene.

“I did not expect to be one of the lucky 24. I’m satisfied with the court’s decision,” said the 59-year-old teacher from South Gyeongsang Province.

“Those who commit a crime must follow the verdict and get punishment. I hope today’s verdict will set a cornerstone for Korea to develop as a constitutional nation,” Chae told The Korea Herald.

Children protest against former-President Park Geun-hye (The Korea Herald)

The Constitutional Court said Thursday that a total of 19,096 citizens applied to enter the courtroom as part of the audience to hear the final verdict on Park’s impeachment trial. A total of 24 citizens were selected randomly online.

By Kim Da-sol, Bak Se-hwan

Staff reporters Ock Hyun-ju, Son Ji-hyoung, Shim Woo-hyun, Jung Min-kyung contributed to this article.

While the Korean flag has become a symbol of their movement to defend the president, a seemingly unrelated flag has also been carried by many of the — mostly elderly — participants at the rallies: the US flag.

Conservative civic group members and President Park Geun-hye‘s supporters hold a giant US flag during their anti-impeachment protest held in central Seoul on Saturday. (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)

During the pro-Park rally held Saturday, the senior citizens, many of whom are war veterans or retired soldiers, waved small American flags alongside Korean ones, carrying placards with provocative messages such as “Kill North Korean sympathizers” and “Declare martial law.”

A large-scale US flag also appeared at the heart of Seoul Plaza, with vendors selling American flags.

In the eyes of protestors, mostly influenced in the aftermath of the 1950-1953 Korean War, the US is not only a symbol of the liberal democracy they have fiercely fought for, but also the savior that rescued them from North Korea’s brutal communist rule and poverty.

“I was born during the Korean War. We were so poor and had nothing to eat. It was the US and white people that helped this country in a difficult time to establish a democracy and get richer,” Shin Deuk-jin, 68, told The Korea Herald during the rally while holding a US flag.

South Korea received official development aid from foreign countries totaling about $13 billion, which contributed to Korea’s economic rise from the ashes of the war. The US was one of the biggest donors.

But their fear and anger over politicians and citizens who they said were pro-North Korea are often based on inaccurate information.

Ideological strife is a perennial source of electioneering and partisan bickering in South Korea, and liberal politicians have traditionally supported dialogue and cooperation with the North.

But many of the protesters were seen mistakenly billing leading progressive presidential hopefuls as opponents of the plan to station the US’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here, though many of them are in fact in favor of the plan or leaning toward supporting it.

From top hangs flags of the United Nations, South Korea and the United States of America at an anti-impeachment protest in central Seoul on Saturday. (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)

“The US is worried about Korea. It offered to station the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, but left-wing politicians are turning it down,” Shin said.

“If Moon Jae-in becomes president, I think the US troops will be withdrawn and he will visit North Korea first,” he said, referring to the front-runner of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, who actually does not oppose THAAD.

Park Min-ho, 72, who fought in the Vietnam War alongside US soldiers, said that holding the US flag was to show his support for the strong alliance between South Korea and the US.

“The US is protecting us. Without the US, North Korea could have unified the two Koreas under communist rule. I am also here to protect this country,” he said, “If the impeachment is upheld, the US will also not stay quiet.”

Since the Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas remain technically at war, with some 28,000 US troops stationed in South Korea to deter North Korea’s aggressions.

Oh Min-geun, 60, said he wanted to pass the country’s legacy as a liberal democracy along to his children.

“The US is a symbol of liberal democracy and capitalism. We need to learn from it. We are bound in blood,” he said, “Anti-protestors are North Korean sympathizers denying the values and seeking to overturn the country.”