A South Korean court has sentenced a close friend of former President Park Geun-hye to 20 years in prison for a string of corruption charges. The Seoul Central District Court today handed down the ruling on Choi Soon-sil for bribery, influence-peddling and abuse of power.
The court also fined her about 16 million dollars in relation to the corruption scandal that led to Park’s impeachment. Choi had been charged with colluding with Park to extort tens of millions of dollars from businesses, including the Samsung Group. Choi has denied the charges, saying the facts were distorted as part of a plot to oust Park.
