The court, meanwhile, will also combine another case in which Park was charged with illegally receiving funds from the state spy agency.

The Supreme Court had also ordered a review of the case, in which Park was sentenced to five years in prison in addition to a 2.7 billion-won fine, on views that additional charges should be acknowledged.

The former president is not expected to appear for the retrial.

She has boycotted all court schedules since October 2017.

The bribery case was one of the biggest political scandals in the country's modern history. Tens of millions of people poured into the streets between October and December 2016 to hold candlelight vigils demanding her exit.

Park was impeached by parliament in December 2016, a decision that was upheld by the Constitutional Court in March 2017, permanently removing her from office a year before the scheduled end of her five-year term.

The succeeding Moon Jae-in administration, often associated with the candlelight movement, pledged to reform the country's chaebol, or family-controlled conglomerates, that are often criticized for their excessive influence on politics. (Yonhap)