Ousted South Korean president Park Geun-hye was arrested on Friday after a Seoul court issued a warrant in connection with the corruption and abuse-of-power scandal that ended her presidency, according to local media reports.
Facing at least 13 charges, Ms Park is accused of letting a now-jailed confidante, Choi Soon-sil, meddle in state affairs and gain unauthorised access to classified documents, while colluding to extort massive donations from businesses for two foundations under Choi’s effective control.
Ms Park, the daughter of former South Korean President Park Chung Hee, became the first former South Korean leader to be put behind bars since ex-leaders Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who were jailed on corruption and mutiny charges in the mid-1990s.