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| Ex-South Korean president Park Geun-hye arrested in corruption probe | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been arrested and taken into custody over a corruption scandal that led to her dismissal. | |
| The 65-year-old was driven to a detention centre south of Seoul after a court approved her arrest. | |
| She is accused of allowing her close friend Choi Soon-sil to extort money from companies, including Samsung, in return for political favours. | |
| Ms Park, who was removed from office earlier this month, denies the claims. | Ms Park, who was removed from office earlier this month, denies the claims. |
| She is the third former president of South Korea to be arrested over criminal allegations, Yonhap reports. | She is the third former president of South Korea to be arrested over criminal allegations, Yonhap reports. |
| The Seoul Central District Court earlier issued a warrant to detain Ms Park while she is investigated on charges of bribery, abuse of authority, coercion and leaking government secrets. | |
| It followed a nearly nine-hour court hearing on Thursday that Ms Park attended. | |
| "It is justifiable and necessary to arrest [Ms Park] as key charges were justified and there is risk of evidence being destroyed," the court said in a statement. | |
| Live television footage showed a black sedan carrying her to the detention facility from the prosecutor's office where she had been waiting. | |
| Despite the early hour, some 50 supporters, waving national flags and demanding her release, were at the gate to greet her, the AFP news agency reports. | |
| Ms Park can be held for up to 20 days before being formally charged. | |
| If convicted she could face more than 10 years in prison. | |
| Ms Park lost her presidential immunity and was dismissed from her post when the constitutional court upheld a decision by parliament in December to impeach her. | Ms Park lost her presidential immunity and was dismissed from her post when the constitutional court upheld a decision by parliament in December to impeach her. |
| Ms Choi is accused of using her presidential connections to pressure companies to give millions of dollars in donations to non-profit foundations she controlled. | Ms Choi is accused of using her presidential connections to pressure companies to give millions of dollars in donations to non-profit foundations she controlled. |
| Ms Park is alleged to have been personally involved in this, and to have given Ms Choi unacceptable levels of access to official documents. | Ms Park is alleged to have been personally involved in this, and to have given Ms Choi unacceptable levels of access to official documents. |
| Judges had said the former president had broken the law by allowing Ms Choi to meddle in state affairs, and had breached guidelines on official secrets by leaking numerous documents. | Judges had said the former president had broken the law by allowing Ms Choi to meddle in state affairs, and had breached guidelines on official secrets by leaking numerous documents. |
| Ms Choi and Samsung's acting head Lee Jae-yong, also involved in the scandal, are being held in the same detention centre to where Ms Park has been sent. They are also being tried separately. | |
| Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is loyal to Ms Park, is now the acting president and an election is to be held by 9 May. |