30 March 2017, 18:12 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to Yonhap news agency, Park was absent from the first preliminary hearing of the trial, aimed at reviewing charges to determine future proceedings, as her attendance was not mandatory.
The court is set to hold two or three more preliminary hearings before opening the first formal hearing in June.
First Pretrial Hearing Held for Ex-President Park https://t.co/fR9p07ynmP
— Korea News (@KoreaKoreaNews) 2 мая 2017 г.
The scandal around Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil, who allegedly was allowed to meddle in state affairs without holding any official post, broke out in October 2016. Choi is also suspected of having helped to extort money from big corporations, in particular, Samsung. The scandal resulted in Park’s impeachment in December 2016 that was confirmed by the country's Constitutional Court on March 10.
The former South Korean leader is accused of corruption, abuse of power, coercion and leak of government secrets.
