South Korean business leader Choi Soon-sil has protested her innocence and insists she has been forced to confess in a high-profile corruption investigation.<br /><br /> Choi is at the heart of a scandal embroiling key figures in South Korea from the president to the de facto head of Samsung.<br /><br /> She is on trial on charges of abuse of power and attempted fraud.<br /><br /> Choi has repeatedly denied accusations of colluding with her friend, South Korean President Park Guen-hye, to pressure big businesses, including Samsung, to contribute to non-profit organisations which back the president’s initiatives.<br /><br /> Both Park and Samsung deny any wrongdoing.<br /><br /> Park remains in office, but has been stripped of her powers while the investigation is underway.<br /><br /> The Constitutional Court’s chief judge is pushing for the president’s impeachment trial to be concluded by mid-March (13), when retirements will reduce the currently nine-judge panel to seven.<br /><br /> Park Han-chul claims the court’s impartiality in the corruption trial may be compromised if the panel is smaller.<br />
