In 1997, Park returned to politics, joining the Grand National Party (GNP), predecessor of the ruling Liberty Korea Party, and was elected a lawmaker a year later. She acted as deputy chief and chief of the GNP.

Following the aborted attempt in 2007 to become the GNP's presidential candidate, she was picked as the party's candidate for the 2012 presidential election with a landslide victory in primary.

On her campaign trail, she built an image of a candidate free from nepotism and corruption scandals surrounding the first families, saying she has no family member left to care about as she is unmarried and has no children.

The image has been broken apart since the corruption scandal embroiling Park and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil emerged in October last year.

Anger and disappointment was vented on Park as she allowed Choi, a private citizen having no public position, to meddle in state affairs from the shadow and influence the appointment of government officials for personal gains.

Lee Jae-yong, an heir apparent of Samsung Group, the country's largest family-controlled conglomerate, has been taken into custody for his alleged involvement in bribery, becoming the first chief in Samsung's 79-year history to be detained. It was reminiscent of the deep-rooted collusive links between politicians and businessmen.

Prosecutors branded Park as a criminal accomplice to Choi for multiple charges, and her approval rating plunged to 5 percent in early November, the lowest for any South Korean leader.

People took to the streets to demand Park's impeachment and immediate resignation, with the Dec. 3 candlelight vigil drawing 2.32 million protesters across the country, the largest ever in history.

Fury exploded on the streets as dissatisfactions amassed with Park's stubborn push for policies without sufficient communications with the parliament and the general public.