Event: SEOUL

SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine on Friday made a port call at a city in southeast South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported Friday. The Ohio-class submarine USS Michigan (SSGN-727) arrived at Busan, South Korea's southeastern port city, earlier in the day. It was the second port call of the U.S. submarine to the South Korean port city. The nuclear-powered submarine is capable of carrying about 150 Tomahawk missiles, according to Yonhap. It replaced another U.S. submarine, the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) that had stayed in Jinhae, a city in South Korea's southeastern region, on Oct. 7-11. The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan was expected to arrive at South Korea in the near future as the South Korean navy announced the joint maritime drills with the U.S. navy next week. The joint exercise will be conducted from next Monday to Friday in the eastern and western waters of South Korea, mobilizing the U.S. aircraft carrier and its accompanying battleships including destroyers and guided missile cruisers. The deployment of U.S. strategic military assets to South Korea came amid the heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) sixth nuclear test in September.

SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean court on Friday decided to extend the detention of impeached President Park Geun-hye who has been in custody and stood trial over corruption charges including bribery. The Seoul Central District Court issued another arrest warrant for Park, which allows the former leader to be detained for as long as six more months. Park was taken into custody in late March after the constitutional court approved her impeachment over a corruption scandal embroiling Park and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. The initial arrest warrant was scheduled to terminate next Monday. By local law, a criminal suspect can be detained as long as six months with a detention warrant. The court was quoted by local media outlets as saying the extended detention can be justified and be needed on "worry about the destruction of evidences." Prosecutors have claimed the extended detention, saying that if Park stands trial without detention, she would not appear in the court hearings citing health problem or preparations for pleading. Park had not attended the court hearings several times citing health problems such as a toe pain. Park's attorneys also asked for numerous witnesses' appearance in the court, triggering criticism that she attempted to intentionally delay the hearings for the purpose of standing trial without detention. With the new detention warrant, Park can be detained by next April, but prosecutors reportedly planned to complete the questioning of witnesses inside the courtroom by the end of next month. To speed up the completion of the testimonies, the court had held three or four hearings every week. Local media speculations said the first trial ruling would be made by the end of this year. The additional arrest warrant was issued on charges of taking bribes from SK Group and Lotte Group, South…

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye (C) is transferred in a car from Seoul to a detention house in Gyeonggi province, South Korea, on March 31, 2017. Former President Park Geun-hye of South Korea was arrested early Friday as a Seoul court approved the request from prosecutors following her impeachment earlier this month over a corruption scandal embroiling her. (Xinhua/NEWSIS) SEOUL, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Former President Park Geun-hye of South Korea was arrested early Friday as a Seoul court approved the request from prosecutors following her impeachment earlier this month over a corruption scandal embroiling her. The court said in a statement that Park's major criminal allegations can be justified while concerns remain about a possibility of her destroying evidence. The arrest warrant, which was sought by prosecutors earlier this week, was issued by the court following the Thursday hearing that lasted for almost nine hours, the longest-ever in the country's history. Park became the third South Korean former leader to be taken into custody. The country's first female president became the first leader to be ousted through impeachment, which was approved by the constitutional court in a historic ruling on March 10.

Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye leaves the prosecutors' office in Seoul, South Korea, March 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho/File photo) SEOUL, March 30 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean court on Thursday ended the longest-ever hearing here on a warrant to arrest former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached earlier this month. For security reason, Park rode to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' office, a building next to the Seoul Central District Court where she appealed to a judge for her innocence for almost nine hours from 10:30 a.m. local time. The 65-year-old looked tired for the long-running hearing, TV footage showed, as she was flanked by two female investigators to get into a black sedan offered by prosecutors. The special investigation headquarters of the Seoul prosecutors' office, in charge with the probe into a corruption scandal embroiling Park, said via text message that Park will wait for the court's decision at a temporary detention unit in the 10th floor of the office. The decision is widely forecast to be made in the early morning hours Friday as a number of charges were levied at Park. Prosecutors already identified Park as an accomplice to her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, who is now in custody, for multiple charges including bribery, abuse of authority, coercion and the leakage of confidential documents. Park was grilled by prosecutors nine days ago as she lost immunity from criminal prosecution while in office. She was permanently removed from office on March 10 in a historic ruling to uphold the impeachment motion on her. Prosecutors sought to arrest Park earlier this week. If issued, Park would be the third South Korean former leader to be taken into custody.