Timeline of South Korea's influence-peddling scandal ahead of Supreme Court ruling

Record ID: 1428777

  • Title: Timeline of South Korea's influence-peddling scandal ahead of Supreme Court ruling
  • Date: 27th August 2019
  • Summary: Supporters of South Korea's ousted president, Park Geun-hye, scuffled with police outside the Constitutional Court moments after the decision was announced to uphold her impeachment. Thousands of pro-Park protesters took to the streets of Seoul, pushing their way through police barricades, some even jumping on top of police buses. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - MARCH 10, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PRO-PARK PROTESTERS GATHERED NEAR CONSTITUTIONAL COURT AFTER IMPEACHMENT RULING AND POLICE BUSES STATIONED AMONGST PRO-PARK PROTESTERS PRO-PARK PROTESTERS GATHERED WAVING SOUTH KOREAN NATIONAL FLAGS WOMAN CRYING POLICE PULLING BUS INTO PLACE TO USE AS A BARRICADE Opponents of Park rallied in Seoul to demand she be arrested, a day after she was thrown out of office. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - MARCH 11, 2017) (REUTERS) ANTI-PARK PROTESTERS SETTING OFF FIREWORKS DURING CANDLELIGHT RALLY IN GWANGHWAMUN SQUARE ANTI-PARK PROTESTERS DANCING VARIOUS OF ANTI-PARK PROTESTERS CHANTING HOLDING POSTERS, FLASHLIGHTS AND ELECTRIC CANDLES IN AIR Park left the presidential Blue House on March 12, two days after a court dismissed her over a corruption scandal, bound for her private home and facing the possibility of prosecution and jail. Park left the compound in a motorcade of fast-driving black cars, flanked by police motorbikes, after bidding farewell to staff, an official said. She headed home in the Gangnam district of the capital, Seoul, where hundreds of flag-waving supporters waited. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - MARCH 12, 2017) (REUTERS) CONVOY, INCLUDING CAR CARRYING PARK, COMING OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE'S GATE
  • Embargoed: 10th September 2019 08:06
  • Keywords: president impeachment Samsung timeline trial Choi Soon-sil political scandal Park South Korea Jay Y. Lee Park Geun-hye Supreme Court
  • Location: SEOUL, INCHEON, UIWANG, SOUTH KOREA/ AALBORG, DENMARK/ HAGEN, GERMANY
  • City: SEOUL, INCHEON, UIWANG, SOUTH KOREA/ AALBORG, DENMARK/ HAGEN, GERMANY
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
  • Reuters ID: LVA00HAU0XZYF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Korea's Supreme Court is set to deliver a ruling on the bribery conviction of Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee in a corruption scandal on Thursday (August 29) that led to the ouster of the country's then-president in 2017.
    The ruling will be a test of South Korea's pledge to reform dominant conglomerates criticised for cozy relationship with political leaders, at a time when the Asia's fourth-biggest economy is facing a series of headwinds.
    The 51-year-old Lee was convicted of bribing Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of former President Park Geun-hye.
    Prosecutors have alleged that he paid bribes to help secure control of Samsung Group, South Korea's top conglomerate that owns Samsung Electronics, the world's leading smartphone and chip maker. He denied the charges.
    He received a five-year jail term in 2017, but was released in 2018 after an appeals court reduced his punishment to a suspended prison sentence on charges of bribery, embezzlement and other convictions.
    Both Lee and state prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, leaving the top court with the options of either upholding the appeals court's ruling or asking it to reconsider its judgement, legal experts say. Samsung declined to comment.
    The Supreme Court is also set to rule on appeals court decisions in the cases against Park and Choi.
    Park, who was impeached following the scandal, received a jail sentence of 25 years, while Choi was jailed for 20 years. They were both fined of 20 billion won ($16.53 million).
    (Production: Daewoung Kim, Hyunyoung Yi)
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