Choi is separately being tried alongside Park for extorting W77.4 billion in donations from big businesses to two dubious nonprofit organizations she controlled and other crimes (US$1=W1,120).

Prosecutors cited aggravating circumstances, saying Choi continues to deny wrongdoing and has been denouncing witnesses in her trial. It was only the first sentence prosecutors have specified against Choi in her influence-peddling and corruption trials.

Prosecutors on Wednesday sought a seven-year prison term for ex-President Park Geun-hye's confidante Choi Soon-sil for wrangling her daughter's illegal admission to Ewha Womans University and paying high-school teachers to doctor her academic records.

Prosecutors also sought a five-year prison term for former Ewha president Choi Kyung-hee, who resigned over the scandal, and four years for former dean of admissions Namkung Gon.

Prosecutors cited a Facebook message by Choi's daughter where she boasted that "money equals ability" and jeered at her peers for having parents with no connections. They said the case "goes beyond a typical instance of a parent's love for her child leading to illegal acts in gaining her admission to university, but constitutes a case of abuse of the education system by crooked educators who cooperated with influential people to advance themselves in society."

In a final statement, Choi claimed that she never gave any money to Ewha, made no demands, and was the victim of an obscure plot -- a familiar refrain throughout her court performances.

"Due to prejudiced views against me, the independent counsel relied only on witnesses without any evidence to accuse my daughter of receiving special privileges, which is unfair," she said. She claimed her daughter is innocent and merely posted the jibe on Facebook after unfair criticism from others.

She will be sentenced on June 23.

