Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak was today ordered to go to jail after a Seoul court sentenced him to 17 years in prison on corruption charges.
The sentence imposed is a lifetime sentence in which the 78-year-old Lee will not be released until 2036 unless he is pardoned or released.
Last week the Supreme Court sentenced Lee on two charges, embezzling 25.5 billion won ($ 22 million) and accepting a bribe of 9.4 billion won.
This is not the first time Lee has been convicted. At the end of 2018, the court sentenced him to 15 years in prison before he was released on bail after serving one year.
Lee was released on the basis of legal restrictions to detain him while the appeal process was ongoing.
Lee was the 17th president of South Korea, from 2008 to 2013.
During his tenure, he managed the country in the midst of a global financial crisis and won a bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics. At the same time, Lee was also criticized for allegedly undermining the country's democratic system including freedom of speech.
His successor, Park Geun-Hye is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being removed from office in 2017 for the same crime and abuse of power that led to massive riots.
