Impeached S Korean president denies corruption at trial
FALL FROM GRACE: Prosecutors accuse Park of bribery, coercion, abuse of power
SEOUL: Disgraced former South Korean president Park Geun-Hye denied all charges when she appeared in court for the first time at her corruption trial on Tuesday.
Prosecutors accuse Park of bribery, coercion, abuse of power and leaking state secrets.
She arrived at Seoul Central District Court in handcuffs for her first public appearance since she was arrested at the end of March, news agency Yonhap reported.
Wearing a navy suit with a badge pinned to it showing her prisoner number 503, Park said “I don’t have a job” when the judge asked what her occupation is.
Prosecutors say she colluded with her close friend Choi Soon-Sil to extort money from top South Korean companies and allowed Choi to interfere with state affairs.
Park’s lawyer argued at the beginning of the hearing that the accusations against her were based on “inference and imagination, not strict evidence.”
When asked by the judge whether she also denied all the allegations, Park said: “My stance is the same as my attorney’s.”
Choi, who also appeared during the hearing, pleaded not guilty too.
Outside the court building, supporters of Park demand her release.
The session ended after approximately three hours and the next is scheduled for Thursday.
Park, the daughter of former military dictator Park ChungHee, and South Korea’s first female president, was impeached by the National Assembly in December, with the country’s constitutional court upholding the decision on March 10. gathered to