Choi Soon-sil Testifies

[Anchor Lead]

The woman at the center of the national corruption scandal, Choi Soon-sil, testified at the impeachment trial of President Park Geun-hye held at the Constitutional Court. She denied allegations that she gained various favors using her ties with the president.

[Pkg]

Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of President Park Geun-hye, testified at a hearing for the president's impeachment trial on Monday. She denied or said she has no knowledge of most of the charges. When members of a parliamentary impeachment panel continued to question her over favors and benefits she obtained, Choi raised her voice and demanded them to be specific about the alleged favors. Regarding allegations on the establishment of the Mir and K-Sports foundations and their shakedown of donations from corporate groups, Choi said she never interfered with the founding or the operation of the two organizations. She said she was only asked by the president to "listen to public opinions." Choi reacted more sharply concerning charges involving her daughter Chung Yoo-ra. She denied all charges that Samsung group provided special favors for her daughter's horse riding career and whether she meddled in retaliatory personnel appointments at the Korea Equestrian Federation. She called the accusations "a jump in logic."