And a local court is to deliver its verdict on the woman at the heart of the corruption scandal that toppled the former Park Geun-hye administration.
The Seoul Central District Court will rule this afternoon on Choi Soon-sil,... the former president's longtime confidante,... on around 20 charges,... including abuse of power, coercion and bribery.
Choi was indicted in November 2016,... and has been under detention for forcing some 50 conglomerates to pay a combined 71 million dollars to nonprofit foundations she allegedly controlled.
She's also accused of meddling in various state affairs,... though she held no official position or authority in the former government.
The court's verdict is expected to affect the sentencing of Park,.. slated for late next month.
Park has been refusing to show up in court, saying she's being made a target of "political revenge."