After the longest arrest warrant hearing on record, the Seoul Central District Court issued the prosecution a warrant to take Park into custody.
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Many Park supporters waved national flags and shouted “president” as Park’s vehicle entered the facility. Prosecutors will likely begin questioning Park Geun-hye early in the coming week. After his tenure ended, Chun spent two years in exile in a remote Buddhist temple as calls mounted to punish him for corruption and human rights abuses. The former leader, who was waiting for the court decision at the prosecutors’ office, was taken to the Seoul Detention Center where Samsung’s Jay Y. Lee and Park’s long-time friend Choi Soon-sil are being held. A district court normally issues a verdict within six months of an indictment.
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 almost a decade in power.
Her father, military general Park Chung-hee, was president from 1963 to 1979 after seizing power in a military coup in 1961.
Her supporters shouted her name and waved South Korean flags as she arrived at the detention centre just before 5 a.m. local time, behind a cordon formed by the police to prevent the crowd from following her in and mixing with any Park opponents, who were also at the scene.
The liberal Democratic Party, which is favourite to win the election on May 9 to choose Park’s successor, said in a statement that the move showed “all are equal before the law”.
The scandal dominated the headlines in South Korea and prompted mass protests when it emerged late a year ago.
Park’s conservative party described her arrest as “pitiful”. She has yet to talk publicly about the charges. Others involved in the scandal, including former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, former culture minister Cho Yoon-sun and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, are also locked up at the center.
In the hearing Park argued against her arrest that she posed no flight risk and swore she would not tamper with evidence.
South Koreans were divided for months as lawmakers considered the case against the president.
She was jailed on Thursday because prosecutors said the accusations against her are “grave”.
“It is pitiful that she ended up being like this”, Kim In-sook, 82, said, watching a special TV program on Park at Seoul’s railway station on Friday. When the constitutional court upheld a parliamentary motion to impeach Ms Park on March 10th, stripping her of state powers, she was deprived too of her immunity from investigation-allowing prosecutors to pounce.
If Park is found guilty of the multiple charges laid against her, including bribery, she faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and possibly up to 45 years.
Lee is accused of giving or promising to give Choi $37 million to ensure government support for the merger of two Samsung units – crucial for the Samsung scion to retain control of South Korea’s biggest conglomerate. Company executives said they felt forced to donate in fear of retaliatory measures including state tax investigations.
Park will have access to none of the stylists, personal chefs, plastic surgeons, skin-care specialists or physical therapists who used to regularly visit her at the Blue House, prosecutors said.
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The letter also urged South Korean politicians to become “pioneers and leaders” in the “struggle to prevent war”.
