Only 14 out of 27 suspects in the massive corruption scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun-hye showed up at a National Assembly hearing on Wednesday.

The key figure, Park's longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, her sister Choi Soon-deuk and nephew Jang Seung-ho failed to appear citing ill health, and her daughter Chung Yoo-ra has gone to ground in Germany.

Former Cheong Wa Dae secretaries Jeong Ho-seong, Ahn Bong-geun and Lee Jae-man, who have been by Park's side since she started in politics 18 years ago, also failed to show up.

Jeong's excuse was that he was being investigated by prosecutors, while Ahn claimed his appearance would be a "serious invasion of privacy" and have a negative impact on his adolescent daughter.

Lee claimed he was suffering from "acute stress, sleeplessness, ulcers and nausea." Former presidential secretary Woo Byung-woo and his mother-in-law as well as Hong Ki-taek, a former head of state-run Korea Development Bank, gave no reasons for their no-show.

Another former presidential secretary An Chong-bum, former culture, sports and tourism minister Yoo Jin-ryong, another crony of Choi Soon-sil's, and Lee Sung-han, who headed the dubious Mir Foundation set up by Choi and lavishly funded by big corporations, also failed to show up.