Last March, Park Geun-hye, South Korea's first female president, was ousted after the country's constitutional court confirmed her impeachment, which had taken place three months earlier. Park's downfall came amid allegations that she participated in a bribery scheme with tech giant Samsung Group that aimed to ensure the merger of two of the company's affiliates. Months of massive street protests were staged to call for her impeachment, after four years in office. Although her attorneys charged that the case against Park was politically motivated, she repeatedly apologized. In February, prosecutors demanded a 30-year prison term and a $110-million fine for Park, who is charged with bribery, abuse of power and other crimes.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 26, 2018 11:03 UTC