Seoul: South Korea’s scandal-hit president was Thursday asked to clarify the mystery surrounding her whereabouts at the time of the disastrous 2014 ferry sinking, as the Constitutional Court opened her impeachment hearing.
Parliament voted to impeach Park Geun-Hye earlier this month over a corruption scandal in which she allegedly colluded with a friend to strong-arm donations from large conglomerates to two dubious foundations.
She is also accused of ordering aides to leak state documents to friend Choi Soon-Sil, who has no official title, and allowing her to meddle in state affairs including the appointment of top officials. The case is now being considered by the Constitutional Court, which has 180 days to rule on the validity of the impeachment.
Justice Lee Jin-Sung rejected an apparent attempt by Ms Geun-Hye’s lawyers to stall the hearing, instead launching into questions over where she was in the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead.
