Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye found guilty of abuse of power and coercion, sentenced to 24 years in prison
- Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was found guilty Friday of abuse of power and coercion.
- She was sentenced to 24 years in prison and received a $16.9 million fine; prosecutors had been seeking a 30-year prison term.
A South Korean judge said Friday that former President Park Geun-hye was guilty of abuse of power and coercion. The details came in a nationally televised verdict as Judge Kim Se-yun read a lengthy statement at Seoul Central District Court.
Park was sentenced to 24 years in prison and received a $16.9 million fine. Prosecutors had sought a 30-year prison term and a $112 million fine for Park, according to Reuters.
Park, 66, has been held at a detention center near the South Korean capital of Seoul since her arrest in March 2017, but she did not attend Friday's court session, citing sickness.
Park was removed from office early last year following months of massive rallies that saw millions take to the nation's streets calling for her ouster. She is the first South Korean president to be removed from office through a court proceeding and the third president to be convicted of a crime.
The court found that Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil colluded to receive billions of won from large corporations, such as Samsung, to fund Choi and her nonprofit organizations.
Once seen as the darling of South Korean conservatives, she was dubbed "Queen of Elections" by local media for her track record of leading her party to victory in tight races, and she still has a small group of fierce supporters who regularly stage rallies calling for her release.
Park maintains that she's a victim of "political revenge" and has been refusing to attend court sessions since October. She has previously maintained her innocence.
Park is the daughter of the dictator Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.