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Top Aide to S Korea President Admits Sharing State Secrets With Her Confidante

© REUTERS / Kim Hong-JiPeople march toward the Presidential Blue House during a protest demanding South Korean President Park Geun-hye's resignation in Seoul, South Korea, January 7, 2017
People march toward the Presidential Blue House during a protest demanding South Korean President Park Geun-hye's resignation in Seoul, South Korea, January 7, 2017 - Sputnik International
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South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s secretary Jeong Ho-seong admitted in court on Wednesday he had shared classified data with Park's confidante Choi Soon-sil, who is at the heart of an influence-peddling scandal.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Choi is accused of using her close ties with Park to extort money from Korean businesses. Park also reportedly used to ask Choi’s opinion of her public speeches and let her correct them.

Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of the South Korean political scandal and long-time friend of President Park Geun-hye, appears for her first trial at the Seoul Central District Court on January 5, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea - Sputnik International
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Friend of Impeached S Korean President Denies Profiting From Ties With Park

"I generally acknowledge the charge against me and my statements made to the prosecution. But I was simply trying to assist the president," Jeong told a district court in Seoul, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

Park’s close aide is reportedly suspected of sending 47 classified documents to Choi and providing her with drafts of Park’s speeches. He confessed the president instructed him to get feedback from her long-time friend.

The scandal that embroiled Choi last year has led to Park’s impeachment and brought thousands of people to the streets across South Korea to demand her resignation.

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