A local court is set to hear from prosecutors today on how long they think ousted former president Park Geun-hye should spend behind bars.<br />Let's get a brief run-down of the story so far from our Park Soyun. <br /> It all began in October 2016 with a tablet PC discovered by local TV news channel JTBC. <br /> The device, containing over 200 presidential documents was the smoking gun that sparked one of the biggest -- if not THE biggest scandal -- in Korea's modern history. <br /> The tablet, later found to be owned by Choi Soon-sil,... a longtime friend of former president Park Geun-hye,.. proved alleged outside interference in state affairs. <br /> And on October 25th, the day after the news report,... then-President Park Geun-hye,... made a public apology.<br /> The investigation kicks in fast,... and just days later,.. state prosecutors arrest the close friend of the former president on charges of meddling state affairs, while holding no government post.<br /> The investigative team led by Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo launches with the approval of the government. <br /><br /> At the National Assembly,.. lawmakers vote to impeach the president,.. taking up calls by hundreds of thousands of Koreans who would gather for candlelight vigils every Saturday evening in central Seoul.<br /> And on March 15th, 2017,... special prosecutors said Park, who had her impeachment confirmed by the Constitutional Court,.... would be summoned for questioning on the influence-peddling scandal.<br /> The justice office approved Park's pre-trial detention shortly before dawn of March 31st,... and she began her time behind bars. <br />And on May 23rd, the trial of South Korea's first female president begins. <br />Her charges,... 18 of them,.. including bribery, abuse of power and leaking state secrets.<br />It wasn't an easy road,... with unexpected hiccups along the way.<br />The jailed former president had refused to attend hearings on multiple occasions, citing poor health, and her defense team quit en masse, when Park condemned the trial as "political revenge."<br /> And today,... the trial comes to a close after nine long months, and the eyes of a nation will be watching to see what kind of punishment prosecutors demand.<br />Park So-yun, Arirang News. <br />
