South Korean ex-president Park’s sentence extended

Gulf News: A South Korean appeal court on Friday extended ex-president Park Geun-hye’s prison sentence for corruption and abuse of power by one year.
The decision by the Seoul High Court means the former head of state, who was ousted after a sprawling cor ruption scandal triggered mass protests, faces 25 years in jail.Park was convicted in May of receiving or demanding more than $20 million from conglomerates, sharing secret state documents, “blacklisting” artists critical of her policies, and firing officials who resisted her abuses of power.Her 10-month trial highlighted shady links between big business and politics in South Korea, with Park and her close friend Choi Soon-sil accused of taking bribes from corporate bigwigs in exchange for preferential treatment.