Park’s detention extended
Former president should cooperate with future trials
Seoul Central District Court approved an additional arrest warrant for former President Park Geun-hye last week. Park was arrested in March and has been standing trial under detention in a corruption scandal that led to her early removal from office.
She has been jailed for the past six months on multiple charges of bribery and abuse of power.
The court recognized the arrest warrant sought by prosecutors last month for additional bribery charges involving Lotte and SK, which were not included in the first arrest warrant, citing possible destruction of evidence. Her detention will be extended for a maximum six additional months.
Prosecutors contended it was necessary to keep her in custody because there was a possibility she would refuse to attend hearings and try to fabricate evidence. The court’s decision came amid new allegations about Cheong Wa Dae’s forgery of documents related to the Sewol ferry sinking which took the lives of more than 300 passengers.
President Moon Jae-in’s chief of staff Im Jong-seok disclosed documents in a briefing last week showing the presidential office under Park had changed the time the former president was first briefed about the disaster.
Im also said Cheong Wa Dae illegally changed the presidential guidelines on dealing with a national crisis, transferring responsibility for handling a national crisis from the National Security Office to the Ministry of Security and Public Administration in July 2014. The allegations have fanned public mistrust of Park.
Given Park’s disregard for the law and the judicial branch, the court’s decision is reasonable and necessary to speed up the trials. The decision also seems fair considering the court had extended the detention of other key figures of the scandal.
The court’s decision to extend Park’s detention should be respected by all, regardless of political inclinations. The court should not be swayed by public opinion or politics and proceed with trials based solely on the law.
Public opinion has been divided about the need to prolong Park’s detention. Her supporters have been calling for her immediate release, saying she is innocent until proven guilty. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party criticized the court for succumbing to political pressure and violating her rights, while the ruling Democratic Party of Korea welcomed the decision.
Many Koreans who supported her impeachment agree with the court’s approval of the additional arrest warrant because the ousted former president has shown disregard for the law since the corruption scandal erupted with her uncooperative attitude toward the investigation and trial proceedings.
Citing health reasons, she hampered the trials by visiting Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital on two occasions to receive treatment for her back and toes.
Park should cooperate with the trials in the coming months if she has any dignity left as a former president and respect for the people who supported her during her political career.