Former President Park Geun-hye faces 30 years in prison

In addition to the 30-year prison sentence, prosecutors today also asked the Seoul Central District Court to fine Ms. Park more than $110 million, according toYonhapThe court is expected to issue a ruling in late March or early April.

Ms. Park, 66, was indicted in April last year on 18 charges, including corruption, abuse of power, and leaking state secrets. She was accused of colluding with her longtime friend Cho Soon-sil to siphon off tens of billions of won from major conglomerates, including Samsung, Lotte, and SK, in exchange for corporate benefits.

She was also found guilty of allowing Ms. Choi to interfere in government affairs even though she had no official title or authority in the government. Ms. Park has not pleaded guilty and did not appear in court today.

If found guilty, Park would be the third South Korean president in history to be convicted. The other two are former military generals involved in a 1979 coup and a 1980 massacre of civilians.

After massive protests involving millions of people and an impeachment vote by lawmakers in December 2016, Ms. Park was officially removed from office and arrested in March last year.