Friend of former South Korean leader Park Geun-hye jailed for three years

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

The court decision was the first ruling against Choi Soon-sil, a long-time confidante of the ousted South Korean president, who has been arrested and is being held in jail over the corruption scandal that ended her administration.

Prosecutors had demanded a seven-year jail term for Choi on charges of obstruction of business and links to Park in order to force a university to give her daughter preferential treatment.

In the sentencing ruling cited by Yonhap, the Seoul Central District Court said it "accepts the evidence that Choi conspired with school officials to give her daughter favours".

"Choi violated laws and proper procedures to benefit her daughter," the court said. Reuters was not able to reach court officials immediately to confirm the report.Choi also faces separate charges, which have yet to be heard, of extortion, abuse of power and attempted fraud to extort bribes from business conglomerates. She and Park have denied all charges.