Confidant of shamed former S.Korean leader Park jailed for 3 years

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The friend of former South Korean president Park Geun-hye who was at the center of an influence-peddling scandal that rocked the country's business and political elite has been sentenced to three years in jail, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.

Prosecutors had demanded a seven-year jail term for Choi Soon-sil on charges of obstruction of business and links to the former president in order to force a university to give her daughter favors.

Choi Kyung-hee, the former president of Ewha Womans University was also sentenced to two years in prison for complying with Choi's request, so did Namkung Gon, the university's former head of admissions, who was sentenced to one and a half years in prison.

Choi Kyung-Hee, former president of Ewha Womans University, at a parliamentary hearing in Seoul, South Korea on December 15, 2016. /VCG Photo‍

Six other people who were involved in the case were either given prison terms or suspended jail sentences.

The court decision was the first ruling against Choi, who faces separate charges that allege she accepted bribes for Park from business conglomerates. The court has yet to rule on those charges.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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