Imprisoned ex-South Korean leader gets 8 more years

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) - Former-South Korean President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to eight more years in prison Friday, adding to the 24-year term she already received after being expelled from office last year.

Park, 66, was convicted on 16 counts of corruption in April following a wide-ranging power abuse scandal that rocked the country’s political and business circles.

Friday’s sentencing by Seoul Central District Court was related to additional charges against Park, including illegally receiving regular payments from the South’s National Intelligence Service.

The total reached 3.5 billion won ($3.1 million) during Park’s period in office from 2013 until her impeachment in 2016.

The court delivered its verdict live on television, although the former leader was absent as she is boycotting legal proceedings that she sees as “politically biased.”

Earlier in the day, prosecutors appealed to Seoul High Court to increase her initial 24-year jail term to 30 years.

Park’s original trial centered on her relationship with a private confidante, Choi Soon-sil, as the pair were found to have forced millions of dollars’ worth of donations from some of the nation’s largest conglomerates.