Former President Park Geun-hye shows strange behavior in prison

Park's lawyers claim that the pressure of the trial has affected her mentally, while some say it is just a "strategy" to gain sympathy to reduce her charges.

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Photo: Korea Times

Korea TimesFormer South Korean President Park Geun-hye was reported to have been behaving strangely in prison while she was being held awaiting a court ruling on corruption charges.

Witnesses have described Park's unusual behavior in her cell at the Seoul Central Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, or during her trials.

Park did not appear in court for her trial on July 10. Park's lawyer, Chae Myung-sung, said her left leg had been injured since July 7 and was swelling.

“Ms. Park’s health and spirit have seriously declined due to having to attend four trials a week,” Mr. Chae added.

According to the newspaperIlyo Shimmun, a guard at the Seoul Central Detention Center noted Park's strange behavior as she sat facing the wall and mumbled in an incomprehensible language. At first, the guard thought she was praying, but when he listened closely, it was neither English nor Korean.

In addition, Ms. Park also showed signs of memory loss. When she met with her lawyer and assistant at the prison, she seemed to forget the name of the assistant she met regularly. Or she ate, but 30 minutes later asked for food.

According to a psychologist, her behavior is a sign of a mental breakdown, which is completely normal when Ms. Park's social position suddenly changed from president to prisoner.

However, a South Korean lawmaker said that this was a carefully calculated act to gain sympathy from her supporters and the Liberty Korea Party, and that these acts could become a tool to help her escape the accusations.

“The court needs to quickly make a judgment on Ms. Park,” the lawmaker stressed.

According to Dan Tri