Pardoned ex-President Park heads home from S. Korea hospital

Former President Park Geun-hye is going home three months after being pardoned for one of South Korea’s worst government-corruption scandals

SEOUL, South Korea -- Three months after being pardoned for one of South Korea’s worst government-corruption scandals, former President Park Geun-hye was finally going home Thursday after being released from a hospital.

She slowly walked out of Samsung Medical Center in Seoul as cameras flashed and dozens of supporters shouted: “President! President!”

“I express my greetings to our people for the first time in five years. My health has really improved, thanks to your worries,” Park said. She thanked the hospital’s medical staff and stepped into a black sedan without taking questions.

She then stopped by a cemetery and offered flowers and incense at the grave of her father, slain military dictator Park Chung-hee, and bowed quietly in tribute. She then headed toward her newly built residence in the southern city of Daegu, where supporters laid wreaths of flowers and a huge national flag near her home.