Ousted South Korean president's graft trial begins Tuesday
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Handcuffed, her inmate number 503 attached to her clothing, former South Korean President Park Geun-hye begins her corruption trial Tuesday in the same courtroom where a brutal dictator was sentenced to death two decades ago.
Once the most powerful person in the country, Park will now face judgment over charges of extortion, bribery and abuse of power that could send her to jail for life.
The hearing in room No. 417 of the Seoul Central District Court will be Park's first public appearance since she was jailed in the early hours of March 31. Her arrest came weeks after she was removed from office in a ruling by the Constitutional Court, which upheld the December impeachment by lawmakers after massive street protests over the corruption allegations began last October.
Prosecutors boast of having "overflowing" evidence proving her involvement in criminal activities. They accuse Park, South Korea's first female president, of colluding with a friend of 40 years to take about $26 million from the country's largest companies through bribery. She also allegedly allowed her friend to manipulate state affairs from the shadows.
