Court warns of judgement by default for jailed ex-president

By Lim Chang-won Posted : November 27, 2017, 16:16 Updated : November 27, 2017, 16:16

[Yonhap News Photo]


A court warned of judgment by default for South Korea's ousted ex-president Park Geun-hye in response to her tenacious boycott of hearings for more than 40 days in protest at her extended detention.

The criminal court in Seoul issued a subpoena asking Park to appear in court on Tuesday after she boycotted Monday's hearing attended by five public defenders.

"We can open a hearing without the presence of a defendant if (Park)refuses to attend with no justifiable reason," the court said. "According to the detention center's report, it is hard to say that there is a justifiable reason for invalidity."

At her last court appearance on October 16, Park declared that her legal battle has become meaningless, and her seven-member defense team boycotted court hearings. She has refused to meet with court-appointed attorneys.

Park was indicted for abusing her status and power to coerce businessmen to donate money to nonprofit foundations controlled by her crony, Choi Soon-sil, in return for business favors. She has denied charges of bribery, abuse of authority, coercion and leaking government secrets. She was ousted after the constitutional court upheld her impeachment on March 10.

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