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Ousted South Korea leader Park arrested, jailed in corruption case

By Doug G. Ware
Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye gets out of a car in front of her private residence in Seoul on March 12, two days after she was removed from office due to an impeachment over alleged corruption. Friday, she was arrested and jailed on bribery charges. Photo by Yonhap News Agency/EPA
Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye gets out of a car in front of her private residence in Seoul on March 12, two days after she was removed from office due to an impeachment over alleged corruption. Friday, she was arrested and jailed on bribery charges. Photo by Yonhap News Agency/EPA

March 30 (UPI) -- Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was arrested and jailed Friday in connection to the corruption investigation that led to her ouster earlier this month, authorities said.

Park was taken into custody at her home and taken to a detention center -- a scene that was covered on live South Korean television.

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Officials said the disgraced former leader accepted bribes and abused her power during her administration. Park's arrest followed a lengthy court hearing in Seoul on Thursday, at which the judge decided there was enough evidence to warrant the arrest.

A car carrying former South Korean President Park Geun-hye (C) enters a detention house in the city of Uiwang, just south of Seoul, South Korea, on Friday. The Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant to arrest her in connection with a corruption scandal that led to her removal from office on March 10. Photo by Yonhap/European Pressphoto Agency

"Major allegations were explained and proved and there were concerns over evidence destruction," Seoul's Central District Court said in a text message.

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Amid the corruption investigation, Park was impeached and removed from office on March 10. She will now remain in jail while prosecutors seek a formal indictment, which they said should come withiin the next three weeks.

"I feel apologetic toward the nation's citizens," Park said last week. "I'll cooperate in the questioning sincerely."

South Korea will elect a new president in May, and experts say it's likely that Park's conservative ruling party will be defeated in the vote after nearly a decade in power.

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