Ousted South Korean leader Park goes on trial

South Korea's ousted President Park Geun-Hye went on trial proclaiming her innocence on Tuesday over a sprawling corruption scandal that saw millions take to the streets and led to her downfall.

Only two months after leaving the presidential palace in disgrace, Park was brought to the Seoul Central District Court in handcuffs on a justice ministry bus, with at least six guards on board.

If found guilty of taking bribes from business leaders including Samsung Group scion Jay Y. Lee, one of the key accusations that led to her impeachment, Park faces more than 10 years in jail.

Park, the country's first democratically elected leader to be removed from office, is charged with taking bribes worth about 29.8 billion won (€23.73 million) from Lee alone.

She wore a blue trouser suit, a badge with her prisoner number, and no make-up in court, where she avoided meeting the glance of her long-time secret confidante and co-accused Choi Soon-Sil.

"The accused Park Geun-Hye, in collusion with her friend Choi Soon-Sil...abused power and pressured business companies to provide bribes, thus taking private gains," senior prosecutor Lee Won-Seok told the court.

"The accused deny even the most basic facts but the charges are fully supported by material evidence and testimonies."

Park was impeached by parliament in December after mass demonstrations demanding her removal over a scandal centred on Choi, her friend of 40 years, and implicating some of the country's top businessmen.

She was detained soon after her dismissal and indicted on 18 charges including bribery, coercion and abuse of power for offering governmental favours to tycoons who bribed Choi.

Park has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty at the trial and her lawyers rejected the 18 charges against her in pre-trial proceedings. Lee has also rejected charges he bribed Park in return for favours for Samsung.

"There was no reason for president Park to force companies to donate money which she was unable to use for herself," Park's lawyer Yoo Yeong-Ha told the court.

"There were no monetary gains she could have had personally from the establishment of the two foundations, as no individuals could freely take funds from the foundations," Yoo said, referring to two sporting foundations formed to support Park's policies.