South Korean prosecutors began questioning ousted president Park Geun-hye on Tuesday as a criminal suspect in a widening corruption investigation.
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Park, 65, became South Korea's first democratically elected president to be removed from office this month when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment by parliament. She has not been charged but prosecutors have accused her of bribery and abuse of power. She has denied wrongdoing. Below are some details of previous presidents who faced legal proceedings:
CHUN DOO-HWAN
Chun Doo-hwan was president from 1980 to 1988. In 1995, he was accused of mutiny, treason and bribery, but he refused to appear at the prosecutors’ office and instead traveled to his hometown. Then-President Kim Young-sam ordered his arrest and Chun was detained on Dec. 3, 1995. He was found guilty of mutiny, treason and corruption in August 1996. He was originally sentenced to death but was released, having spent just over two years at the Anyang Correctional Institution, near Seoul, in 1997 in a bid by Kim to promote "national harmony."
ROH TAE-WOO
Roh Tae-woo was president from 1988 to 1993. In 1995, he was accused of taking bribes from top businessmen during his term as president. He was convicted of treason, mutiny and corruption and sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison. A court of appeal reduced that to 17 years. He served just over two years in prison before being released by Kim in 1997, again to promote national harmony.
ROH MOO-HYUN
Roh Moo-hyun was president from 2003 to 2008. Prosecutors suspected him of involvement in a bribery scandal and he appeared for questioning on April 30, 2009. On May 23 the same year, Roh jumped to his death from a cliff near his home.
