Security tight as South Korea’s ousted leader Park set to attend court hearing on her arrest

Security is tight as South Korea's ousted leader Park Geun-hye is set to attend a court hearing to review an arrest warrant request against Park. Photo grabbed from Reuters video file.
Security is tight as South Korea’s ousted leader Park Geun-hye is set to attend a court hearing to review an arrest warrant request against Park. Photo grabbed from Reuters video file.

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — Security was tight in front of the house of South Korea’s ousted leader Park Geun-hye and the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday (March 30) morning as she is set to attend a court hearing to review a warrant seeking her arrest.

Police said it mobilized about 2,000 police officers near the court and about 1,200 officers near Park’s house.

A South Korean court is set to hold a hearing at 10:30 a.m. (local time / 0130GMT) on Thursday to decide whether to arrest Park Geun-hye and hold her in a cell for up to 20 days while she is investigated on charges of taking bribes and abusing presidential power.

Park, 65, became South Korea’s first democratically elected president to be removed from office when a constitutional court upheld her parliamentary impeachment this month.

Park is accused of colluding with a friend, Choi Soon-sil, to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back the former president’s policy initiatives. She and Choi have denied wrongdoing.