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

Record ID: 1428778

  • Title: Timeline of South Korea's influence-peddling scandal ahead of Supreme Court ruling
  • Date: 27th August 2019
  • Summary: Choi Soon-sil angrily shouted on January 25 after being summoned for questioning that she had been forced to confess. She made the protest in front of reporters at the special prosecutor's office, as she was being pushed into a lift by correctional officers. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - JANUARY 25, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CHOI GETTING OFF BUS / WALKING INTO SPECIAL PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE BUILDING / SAYING (Korean): "This is no longer a democratic special prosecution." CHOI WALKING CHOI SAYING (Korean): "This is not a democratic special prosecution. Also, I am being forced to confess to committing crimes, jointly with the president." CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS PUSHING CHOI INTO LIFT / CHOI SAYING (Korean): "This is so unfair, I don't deserve to be treated like this, along with my baby and my grandson." LIFT DOOR CLOSING A black sedan carrying special prosecutors arrived at South Korean presidential office on February 3 to execute a search warrant on then President Park Geun-hye's office. South Korea's presidential Blue House, however, blocked prosecutors from searching the offices citing security reasons, an official said. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - FEBRUARY 3, 2017) (REUTERS) CAR CARRYING SOUTH KOREAN SPECIAL PROSECUTORS MOVING FORWARD TO SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE SOUTH KOREAN POLICE OFFICER STANDING AND LOOKING AROUND SPECIAL PROSECUTORS' CAR PARKED ON ROAD/ PROSECUTORS WALKING OUT OF CAR SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FILE - 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF THE BLUE HOUSE, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE "CHEONG WA DAE" After being arrested, Jay Y. Lee, accused of bribery, embezzlement and other charges, arrived at the special prosecutor's office, clean-shaven and expressionless, wearing a dark suit and white shirt without tie, getting out of a blue van emblazoned with the justice ministry logo escorted by detainment facility officials. He spent the night at the Seoul Detention Centre on the outskirts of the capital in a 6.56-square-meter (71-square- foot) single cell with a toilet in the corner behind a partition. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (FEBRUARY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) JAY Y. LEE WALKING TOWARDS LIFT OF THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
  • 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: LVA00FAU0XZYF
  • 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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