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| South Korea: Park Geun-hye breaks silence as she leaves official residence | South Korea: Park Geun-hye breaks silence as she leaves official residence |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The disgraced South Korean leader Park Geun-hye has broken her silence over the corruption scandal that led to her removal from office, saying she is sorry she could not finish her mandate but is confident “the truth will be revealed”. | The disgraced South Korean leader Park Geun-hye has broken her silence over the corruption scandal that led to her removal from office, saying she is sorry she could not finish her mandate but is confident “the truth will be revealed”. |
| Park, who left the presidential Blue House on Sunday in a motorcade of black cars, two days after a court dismissed her over the scandal, is facing the possibility of prosecution and jail. | Park, who left the presidential Blue House on Sunday in a motorcade of black cars, two days after a court dismissed her over the scandal, is facing the possibility of prosecution and jail. |
| She struck a defiant tone upon arriving at her private home in the Gangnam district of Seoul. | She struck a defiant tone upon arriving at her private home in the Gangnam district of Seoul. |
| “I feel sorry that I could not finish the mandate given to me as president,” the MP Min Kyung-wooka, a spokesman for Park, quoted her as saying. | “I feel sorry that I could not finish the mandate given to me as president,” the MP Min Kyung-wooka, a spokesman for Park, quoted her as saying. |
| “It will take time, but I believe the truth will be revealed.” | “It will take time, but I believe the truth will be revealed.” |
| She accepted responsibility for the events that culminated in the constitutional court on Friday upholding a parliamentary impeachment vote over an influence-peddling scandal that shook the political and business elite. Park has always denied wrongdoing. | She accepted responsibility for the events that culminated in the constitutional court on Friday upholding a parliamentary impeachment vote over an influence-peddling scandal that shook the political and business elite. Park has always denied wrongdoing. |
| “I take responsibility for the outcome of all this,” Min quoted her as saying. | “I take responsibility for the outcome of all this,” Min quoted her as saying. |
| A snap presidential election is due to be held by 9 May. The liberal politician likely to become the next president, Moon Jae-in, has promised to work for justice and common sense. | A snap presidential election is due to be held by 9 May. The liberal politician likely to become the next president, Moon Jae-in, has promised to work for justice and common sense. |
| “We still have a long way to go. We have to make this a country of justice, of common sense through regime change,” Moon, an advocate of a “sunshine policy” of engagement with North Korea, told a news conference. “We all have to work together for a complete victory.” | “We still have a long way to go. We have to make this a country of justice, of common sense through regime change,” Moon, an advocate of a “sunshine policy” of engagement with North Korea, told a news conference. “We all have to work together for a complete victory.” |
| Moon has criticised two former conservative presidents – Park and her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak – for derailing the progress made in inter-Korean relations during the previous liberal administrations. He is calling for a two-step approach on North Korea, with talks leading first to economic unification and ultimately political and military unification. | Moon has criticised two former conservative presidents – Park and her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak – for derailing the progress made in inter-Korean relations during the previous liberal administrations. He is calling for a two-step approach on North Korea, with talks leading first to economic unification and ultimately political and military unification. |
| Moon stressed the need to “embrace and be united with” the North Korean people on Sunday, while adding that he could never accept its “dictatorial regime” or its trampling of rights. | Moon stressed the need to “embrace and be united with” the North Korean people on Sunday, while adding that he could never accept its “dictatorial regime” or its trampling of rights. |
| He denounced the north’s “cruel and ruthless behaviour” after the murder in Malaysia last month of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. But he told a news conference there was no choice but to recognise Kim Jong-un as leader. | He denounced the north’s “cruel and ruthless behaviour” after the murder in Malaysia last month of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. But he told a news conference there was no choice but to recognise Kim Jong-un as leader. |
| “We can’t deny that the ruler of the North Korean people is Kim Jong-un,” Moon said. “We have no choice but to recognise Kim Jong-un as a counterpart, whether we put pressure and impose sanctions on North Korea or hold dialogue.” | “We can’t deny that the ruler of the North Korean people is Kim Jong-un,” Moon said. “We have no choice but to recognise Kim Jong-un as a counterpart, whether we put pressure and impose sanctions on North Korea or hold dialogue.” |
| Moon, a human rights lawyer, called on Park to publicly accept the court ruling and said she should not try to destroy or remove any documents when she left the Blue House on Sunday. | Moon, a human rights lawyer, called on Park to publicly accept the court ruling and said she should not try to destroy or remove any documents when she left the Blue House on Sunday. |
| Park, 65, is South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office. Her dismissal followed months of political paralysis and turmoil over the graft scandal that also landed the head of the Samsung conglomerate in jail and facing trial. | Park, 65, is South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office. Her dismissal followed months of political paralysis and turmoil over the graft scandal that also landed the head of the Samsung conglomerate in jail and facing trial. |
| The crisis has come at a time of rising tensions with North Korea and anger from China over the deployment in South Korea of a US missile defence system. | The crisis has come at a time of rising tensions with North Korea and anger from China over the deployment in South Korea of a US missile defence system. |
| Park did not appear in court on Friday. Until Sunday, she had remained in the Blue House, prompting ire from critics keen to see her stripped of the privileges of power. | Park did not appear in court on Friday. Until Sunday, she had remained in the Blue House, prompting ire from critics keen to see her stripped of the privileges of power. |
| It was a dramatic fall from grace for South Korea’s first female president, the daughter of the cold war military dictator Park Chung-hee. | |
| Having lost presidential immunity, she could face criminal charges over bribery, extortion and abuse of power in connection with allegations of conspiring with her friend, Choi Soon-sil, who also denies wrongdoing. | Having lost presidential immunity, she could face criminal charges over bribery, extortion and abuse of power in connection with allegations of conspiring with her friend, Choi Soon-sil, who also denies wrongdoing. |