Corruption Scandal: Former S/Korean President Park Geun-hye Jailed

Prosecutors said on Monday Park was accused of soliciting companies for money and infringing upon the freedom of corporate management by using her power as the president.

Park had spent the night in the prosecutor’s office waiting to learn if she would be placed under arrest.

Being taken into custody is a dramatic step in the disgrace of South Korea’s first woman president, and was a key demand of the millions of people who took to the streets to protest against her as the scandal engulfed her leadership previous year.

The impeached president was stripped of her powers by the Constitutional Court earlier this month, ending her tumultuous four-year rule after she was accused of colluding with her close friend Choi Soon-sil to extorting big businesses.

After her father died in 1994 at age 82, Choi Soon-sil succeeded him as church leader and spiritual mentor to Park, as the former first daughter became a political force of her own. Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, two former military-era leaders, were convicted of treason, mutiny and corruption.

Prosecutors allege Park blacklisted cultural figures she thought were critical of her policies and prohibited government agencies from financially supporting them. But others celebrated her arrival. “But she didn’t realise she lived in a different era, one where people had stronger ownership of their government and wouldn’t tolerate a leader acting like a royal princess”. The prosecutors may detain Ms Park for up to 20 days; if she is to stay behind bars, they must issue a formal indictment against her within that period. She will commute from her cell to the Seoul courthouse once her trial begins.

Park’s cell has a television, a toilet, a sink, a table and a mattress. The TVs show only programs authorized by the Justice Ministry.

Park, however, is likely to be allowed an unlimited range of visits by her lawyers, possibly in an exclusive visiting room.

On Friday, Park would have been served bread, ketchup, cheese, soup, salad and soybean milk for breakfast, according to the jail menu for the day.

Each meal costs $1.30, although a limited supply of private snacks can be purchased from a jail cafeteria. And by thoroughly investigating several other charges they have not been able to substantiate thus far, they must put an end to the debate over those charges.

Ms Choi and Samsung’s acting head Lee Jae-yong, also involved in the scandal, are being held in the same detention centre to where Ms Park has been sent.

Park was formally removed from office on March 10, stripping her of immunity.

Ms Park gave about eight hours of testimony at the same court on Thursday and was held at the prosecutors’ office next door while the judge studied the evidence and arguments to decide on whether to issue the arrest warrant.

“It’s really sad”, Jeong said.