Park Geun-hye was sworn in as South Korea’s 18th president, becoming the country’s first woman to hold the office. Her early agenda emphasized economic policy and national unity, and she took office amid ongoing security tensions with North Korea.
The ferry MV Sewol sank off South Korea’s southwest coast, causing the deaths of hundreds of people, many of them high school students. The tragedy became a lasting test of Park’s leadership because it raised public anger about safety oversight and the government’s emergency response.
As criticism grew, Park publicly apologized for what she described as failures to prevent the disaster and problems in the initial response. The Sewol episode stayed central in public debate and later fueled distrust in government during the political scandal years.
A major turning point came when JTBC reported it had obtained a tablet computer linked to Choi Soon-sil, a longtime Park confidante. Reported contents included drafts of presidential speeches, raising alarms that a private citizen may have accessed or influenced state affairs.
Park apologized on national television, acknowledging she had sought input from Choi in the past. The apology did not end the controversy; instead, it widened demands for accountability about how decisions were made and whether laws were broken.
Large public protests began in Seoul, often described as “candlelight” vigils because people gathered holding candles. These demonstrations became a sustained, weekly movement pressing for Park’s resignation and deeper anti-corruption reforms.
South Korea’s National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against Park by a large margin, immediately suspending her presidential powers. The case then moved to the Constitutional Court, which had to decide whether the impeachment was valid.
Park’s conservative party changed its name to the Liberty Korea Party as it tried to rebuild credibility during the scandal and impeachment process. The change highlighted how the presidency’s collapse disrupted South Korea’s conservative political coalition.
South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment, permanently removing Park from office. The decision triggered a required snap presidential election within 60 days and marked the first time a democratically elected South Korean president was forced out through impeachment.
Two days after the court ruling, Park departed the presidential residence (the Blue House) and returned to a private home in Seoul. Her exit symbolized the formal end of her administration and the start of a transition period under an acting president and an election timetable.
Voters elected Moon Jae-in as president in the early election held after Park’s removal. His victory reflected public demand for political change and reforms following the scandal and the mass protests.
A Seoul court sentenced Park to 24 years in prison and imposed a large fine after finding her guilty on multiple corruption-related charges linked to the broader influence-peddling case. The verdict reinforced a key outcome of the impeachment era: former top leaders could face criminal punishment after leaving office.
South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a 20-year prison term for Park on bribery and other crimes, helping finalize the legal outcome of the corruption case. The ruling also clarified her long-term legal status and made her eligible for consideration for a presidential pardon under South Korean practice.
President Moon Jae-in granted Park a special pardon, ending the remaining prison sentence connected to her conviction. The pardon closed the main legal chapter that followed her impeachment, while debates over accountability and political reform continued in South Korea.
Park Geun-hye presidency and impeachment (2013–2017)