Park Geun-hye aressted

What does the future hold for the ousted President?

On the 31^st of March 2017, Impeached Korean President, Park Geun-Hye was arrested and placed within the Seoul Detention Centre. The arrest comes after a warrant was issued for her arrest by the Seoul Central District Court. The court had sanctioned the prosecutors arrest request only a few hours after her testimony. 

What will happen to Park Geun-Hye now? 

• The warrant, which was issued 21 days after the Constitutional Court removed Park from the presidency, is linked to a number of charges against Park, including the acceptance of a 43.3 billion won (US$38.6 million) bribe from Samsung.
• Prosecutors can now detain the former President for up to 20 days. The warrant was issued after the bribery charges were substantiated to some degree and will likely detain her till the elections begin on April 17^th.

What is the likely outcome of the case? 

• Evidence has begun piling up and it seems likely that Park Geun-Hye will be put behind bars for a longer duration.
• Geun-Hye's fate is tied with that of the Samsung conglomerate and Choi Soon-Sil.
• She could face more than 10 years in jail if convicted of receiving bribes from chaebol bosses, including Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee, in return for favors.
• Lee, who denies charges that he provided bribes in return for favors for Samsung, is in detention in the same facility as Park and on trial separately. After several preliminary hearings, Lee's trial will begin on April 7.

Assessment 

Geun-Hye's impeachment and subsequent arrest have sent shockwaves around South Korea. Major political and economic players have been indicted such as the Lotte group and Samsung, leading to discord in the nation. The elections will be the saving grace of the nation which needs new leadership to sweep away the old yet to be proven corrupt government.