Clik here to view.
Senior executives of South Korea's largest business group Samsung have been questioned by investigators who are seeking to get to the bottom of allegations over influence-peddling that have led to the country's parliament voting to impeach President Park Geun-hye.
A Yonhap report said Choi Gee-sung, a vice chairman, and Chang Choong-ki, a president at the Samsung conglomerate, were questioned on Monday.
The two officials head Samsung's future strategy planning division which Yonhap said was believed to be making key decisions for the group and was closely linked to the ongoing scandal.
The impeachment vote took place on 8 December and the Constitutional Court must decide whether to uphold the motion, a process that could take up to 180 days.
{loadposition sam08}Park stands accused of plotting to coerce 50 companies to pay 80 billion South Korean won (US$70 million) to two foundations, Mir and K-Sports, both controlled by a confidante named Choi Soon-il who has been indicted for abuse of power.
Choi has been charged with coercion and attempted fraud.
The biggest grant of the lot, 20.4 billion won, was made by Samsung. Prosecutors suspect that a further 3.4 billion won was paid to Choi through Widec Sports, a German company from whom she bought horses and equestrian lessons for her daughter.
Yonhap said the two Samsung executives appeared as witnesses. It quoted an official of the investigating team as saying: "The two were called in to bear witness to the case but their statuses could change to that of suspect in the course of the interrogation."
Samsung has just ended a bad year during which it was forced to stop production of its Galaxy Note7 after the device began exploding. It was also forced to recall three million washing machines.
