Corruption verdict on South Korea’s Park to be televised live
SEOUL: The corruption verdict and sentencing of South Korea’s ousted ex-president Park Geunhye will be televised live, a Seoul court said yesterday, in a case that could see her jailed for up to 30 years.
The 66-year-old daughter of a former dictator was impeached and arrested in March 2017 over a wide-ranging corruption scandal that exposed shady links BEIJING: A Chinese religious affairs official yesterday denied that authorities briefly detained an underground bishop last week, after the Vatican poured water on Beijing’s suggestion that a deal on the appointment of prelates was imminent.
China’s roughly 12 million Catholics are divided between a government-run association, whose clergy are chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.
Beijing and the Vatican severed diplomatic relations in 1951 and although ties have improved as China’s Catholic population grows, they have remained at odds over the appointment of bishops.
The Vatican relaunched longstalled negotiations with Beijing three years ago. But the question of whether China or the Holy See gets to designate bishops has been a major obstacle to progress.
AFP previously reported that Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin was detained last Monday and forced to travel to the city of Xiamen over 200 kilometres away from his diocese before being released. — AFP between big business and politics and prompted massive street protests.
The Seoul Central District Court said it would allow the verdict and sentencing of Park, set for Friday afternoon, to be broadcast live in light of high public interest – the first time a trial has been televised live in South Korea.
It will mark the first time that a verdict and sentencing will be broadcast live since the country’s Supreme Court last year changed guidelines on court proceedings to allow such practices.
Park has been boycotting her trial hearings since the court extended her detention last October, accusing the institution of being biased against her.
Even though she is widely expected not to attend Friday’s verdict and sentencing, she has asked the court not to allow live TV coverage of the hearing.
Prosecutors have demanded a 30-year-jail sentence and a 118.5 billion won (US$110 million) fine for Park, saying she must take responsibility for the scandal as the former president.
Park is accused of colluding with her secret confidante and long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who has been convicted, for taking tens of millions of dollars from conglomerates in return for policy favours.
Choi was sentenced to 20 years in prison, five years less than what prosecutors had demanded.
Park’s downfall gave the leftleaning Democratic Party the upper hand in the presidential election last May, which was easily won by Moon Jae-in. — AFP
China denies detaining underground bishop