S. Korean prosecutors ask court to extend Park's detention

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Supporters of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye have asked a United Nations body to investigate whether her detention during her corruption trial was preventing Park from getting proper medical treatment, a barrister said on Tuesday.

Park, ousted earlier this year and in detention since March, is undergoing a lower court trial for charges of abuse of power and bribery. Her current detention period for the lower court trial is due to end on October 17, which the prosecution asked the court to extend on Tuesday.

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye (C) is transferred in a car from Seoul to a detention house in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, on March 31, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

A legal team working for Park's supporters has asked the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Geneva to look into whether Park was given medical treatment and whether there were procedural irregularities in her current trial, said Rodney Dixon QC, a London-based human rights barrister.

"She is not a flight risk... She has been denied opportunity to receive adequate medical care through provisional release or options of house arrest," said Dixon.

Since her detention began in late March, Park has declined witness appearances in concurrent trials citing health issues, and various South Korean media have reported her as having chronic back and shoulder pains, difficulty sleeping and nodding off more than once during hearings.

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye (Front) arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on March 30, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

South Korea's Justice Ministry, which oversees the Seoul Detention Center where Park is held, said all detainees are guaranteed ample chances to receive medical care both inside the center and at outside medical facilities when needed, and as such Park is receiving proper medical care.

The ministry declined to disclose Park's exact medical conditions as they are private.

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Source(s): Reuters