FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2017 file photo, Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, left, arrives for her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea. A South Korean court says it'll allow a live broadcast of the verdict Friday, April 6, 2018, at the trial of disgraced ex-President Park. Park was arrested last year on a slew of corruption charges after being removed from office. Prosecutors are demanding a 30-year prison term if the court finds her guilty. The court said it decided to allow the hearing to be televised live in consideration of public interests. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Republished April 03, 2018 - 4:09 AM
Original Publication Date April 02, 2018 - 11:36 PM
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of - A South Korean court said Tuesday that it will allow a rare live broadcast of the verdict at the trial of disgraced former President Park Geun-hye later this week.
Park was arrested last year on a slew of corruption charges after being removed from office following months of huge rallies calling for her ouster. Prosecutors are demanding a 30-year prison term if the court finds her guilty.
The Seoul Central District Court said it decided to allow the verdict to be televised live in consideration of public interest. It would mark the first broadcast for a verdict at the trial of a district court, though trials at higher-level courts have been previously broadcast, including the one that dismissed Park from office.
Park has boycotted court sessions since last October, and it's unlikely she'll attend the verdict. Both Park and prosecutors can appeal Friday's ruling.
Among the key charges are that she colluded with a longtime confidante to take tens of millions of dollars from companies in bribes and extortion.
Park, the daughter of a deeply divisive dictator, became South Korea's first female president in early 2013.
Nearly all South Korean presidents have been arrested or embroiled in scandal at the close of their terms or after leaving office. Last month, Park's conservative predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, was arrested and jailed over a separate corruption scandal.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018