A man passes by a TV screen showing a file image of former South Korean president Park Geun-hye during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea on December 24, 2021. The South Korean government said Friday it will grant a special pardon to Park, who is serving a lengthy prison term for bribery and other crimes. Photo: VCG

Former South Korean president Park Geun-hye left hospital on Thursday three months after she was released from prison where she spent nearly five years following a conviction on corruption charges.

Park, 70, became the country's first democratically elected leader to be forced from office when the Constitutional Court upheld a parliament vote in 2017 to impeach her over a scandal that also landed the chiefs of two conglomerates, Samsung and Lotte, in jail.

"As president, I tried to work hard for the country and the people but there are many dreams that were not achieved," Park, dressed in a dark navy coat and holding a purse, told hundreds of cheering supporters after arriving at her home in the southeastern city of Daegu.

"But those dreams are tasks for others," Park said, signaling no intention of returning to the political fray. "I will provide support so that talented people can contribute to the development of my hometown of Daegu and the country."

Park is the daughter of former leader Park Chung-hee and her imprisonment divided a country in which old Cold War rivalry between right and left still shapes politics. 

An unidentified object was thrown at Park shortly after she began delivering her remarks from a podium but she smiled and thanked the crowd. "I am extremely grateful that so many people came to warmly greet me even though I had numerous shortcomings and disappointed you." 

The Supreme Court in 2021 upheld Park's sentence of 20 years in prison for colluding with a friend, who was also jailed, to receive millions of dollars from the companies, mostly to fund her friend's family and nonprofit groups.

Reuters