(Photo/CGTN)

South Korea's ousted president Park Geun-hye on Tuesday denied all charges against her during the first court hearing in Seoul -- the final chapter in a corruption scandal that removed her from presidency and could throw her in jail for over 10 years if convicted.

Park is facing 18 charges including bribery, coercion, leaking government secrets and abuse of power. The gravest accusation involves bribes worth 52 million US dollars from Samsung, Lotte and SK either for herself or her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil, who is also behind bars.

The Seoul Central District Court began the trial at 10 a.m. local time in room No. 417, with Park making her first public appearance since taken into custody on March 31 handcuffed and with eyes downcast. Choi was also in the room, separated from Park by a lawyer -- but the two women did not acknowledge each other in the courtroom. The hearing lasted for about three hours.

The first day of trial was presided over by a three-justice panel, with no jury. Head Judge Kim Se-yun asked Park, "What is your occupation, the accused Park Geun-hye?" She responded, "I don't have any occupation."

Park was ousted by a Constitutional Court ruling on March 10, which upheld the Parliament's decision to impeach her.

"The defendants, including former President Park Geun-hye, ignored due legal procedures and damaged people's sovereignty and the rule of law to gain personal profits," Yonhap cited a prosecutor. "We will do our best to prove to clearly show the truth surrounding the case."

"Much of the evidence provided by the prosecution is news articles. I want to ask since when have prosecutors been using news articles as evidence in criminal cases," Park's lawyer Yoo Yeong-ha said, denying all wrongdoing. Park said she had the same position as her lawyers, maintaining innocence.

Tuesday's open session took place under tight security, with 68 seats available for the public who won a lottery to attend. "I am here to witness a new chapter of history being unfurled," 70-year-old spectator Lee Jae-Bong told AFP.

The country's first female president became the third former leader to have corruption accusations leveled against her after Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo who were convicted in the late 1990s. The formal hearing came two weeks after snap presidential election took place, with Moon Jae-in winning.

Park's second hearing is set on Thursday. From then onwards, hearings will be held two to three times a week to review evidence and question witnesses. The trail is could last for months but a ruling is expected before Park's detention period expires, six months after being charged on April 17.