Tag: Choi Soon-sil

The most wanted Korean woman in the world who was on the run in Germany has now been arrested in Denmark:

The daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s close friend, who is at the heart of an influence-peddling scandal that has led to the president’s impeachment, has been arrested in Denmark, police said Monday.

According to the National Police Agency, law enforcement authorities in the European country notified their South Korean counterparts that Chung Yoo-ra was arrested in the northern Danish city of Aalborg on Sunday on charges of illegal stay.

Chung, a former member of the national equestrian team, is suspected of receiving undue favors from Seoul-based Ewha Womans University regarding admission and academic affairs by taking advantage of her mother’s ties to the president.

Special prosecutors looking into the corruption scandal allegedly surrounding President Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil had requested that Interpol put Choi’s daughter on the wanted list after she declined to respond to the investigation team’s repeated summons.

The investigation team said it is collaborating with the relevant bodies to bring Chung to South Korea.

The justice ministry said it has submitted an extradition request to the National Police Agency to swiftly get Chung back home.  [Yonhap]

Interestingly according to the Danish media it was a Korean journalist who tracked down Chung:

The daughter of Choi Soon-Sil, the woman at the centre of a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of South Korea’s President, has been arrested in Denmark after months in hiding, Seoul prosecutors said on Monday.

If these pastries are such a hit you would think these bakers would want to keep selling them:

Pastry parodying the jailed friend of President Park Geun-hye and central figure of the Choi-gate political scandal, Choi Soon-sil, has become a hit with consumers, but was discontinued on Dec. 23.

The creators of the duly called “Choi Soon-sil Kkam Bbang,” which is a play on words using the Korean slang term for prison (gambang) and bread (bbang), said they were forced to discontinue their hit product at their bakery in Daegu since they “didn’t have any time to bake any other breads” due to the pastry’s popularity.

While they originally sold 10 to 15 of the pastry per day when it was first offered for sale on Dec. 10, they were soon selling over 100 a day due to viral popularity on social media.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

This audiotape may be from 1999, but it shows the dynamics of the relationship between Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil seventeen years ago was one where Park was taking orders from Choi.  The question now is if that dynamic has changed after all these years or was Park still taking orders from Choi?:

Choi Soon-Sil is seen bossing and ordering Park Geun-Hye around in a newly-surfaced audio tape.  News outlet are focusing on a taped conversation from 1999 to understand the dynamic between Park and Choi.  In the tape, Park and Choi discuss building a memorial and museum for Park’s father, Park Chung-Hee.  They discuss building one near Gumi, the strongman’s birthplace in the province about 2 hours north-east of Busan, South Korea’s second largest city.

There are 3 other persons who are part of the conversation, including the vice chairman of the Hannarah Party. Choi is seen leading the conversation, interrupting Park several times, even telling her what to do and what to eat. She often talks to Park in “banmal,” the language used when talking to subordinates or children.  [All News Korea]

You can read the rest at the link.

Via All News Korea, comes something about Chung Yoo-ra the daughter of the woman behind the ROK Presidential scandal, she is a single mother:

Well, Chung’s passport has now been canceled and South Korea’s special prosecutor is requesting that Germany freeze assets belonging to the Choi family.  They are specifically asking that Germany extradite her to South Korea or to arrest and deport her, as her passport is no longer valid.  However, it is not known  where exactly Chung is, although it is suspected she is with the baby she gave birth to in 2015 (the father of the child, who has since broken up with Chung, has returned to South Korea and was interviewed by authorities).  Indeed, the special prosecution asked that Chung attend a parliamentary hearing last week.  She was nowhere to be found and even Choi’s lawyer , Lee Kyung-Jae, didn’t know where she was:  “I don’t know when she will return. She has the freedom to make a choice [whether to attend the hearing or not].”  By virtue of her no show, she is now accused of another serious charge, obstruction of justice.  [All News Korea]

You can read more at the link.

The daughter of the woman at the center of the ROK Presidential impeachment scandal now has a court order for her arrest and the Foreign Ministry is in the process of revoking her passport since it is believed that she is in hiding in Germany:

South Korea’s foreign ministry said Thursday it will soon initiate the process of confiscating the passport of the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, the long-time friend of President Park Geun-hye who faces charges for meddling in state affairs.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to swiftly issue an order for the return of Chung Yoo-ra’s passport, and if it is not returned before a deadline, it will take steps to annul it,” ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said in a press briefing.

According to the ministry, a person subject to such an order usually has 14 days in which to return the passport, but, given the gravity of the situation, Chung must return hers within seven days.

The ministry will send its order as registered mail to Chung’s Korean address or to her legal representative. The order will take effect once the letter is received.

If the first order is returned undelivered, the ministry will mail a second. If that one is also sent back, then the ministry will post its confiscation order on its website.

Earlier in the week, the independent counsel investigating the influence-peddling scandal involving Choi and President Park secured a court warrant to arrest Choi’s only daughter, who is believed to be hiding out in Germany.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

The more I read about the Choi Soon-sil scandal the more I realize that she can arguably be considered a well connected lobbyist taking money from corporations to influence presidential policy.  In the United States lobbying is a well respected profession where in South Korea it can be considered bribery:

Samsung Electronics, the country’s largest listed company, picked up the tab for a sojourn by Choi Soon-sil, the controversial friend of President Park Geun-hye, and her daughter to Germany last year, the JoongAng Ilbo learned Tuesday.

Choi, 60, is a prime suspect in the abuse of power scandal that led to the impeachment of Park earlier this month. The prosecution indicted Choi in November on charges of abuse of power, coercion, attempted coercion and attempted fraud, making clear that the president is a co-conspirator in all of her alleged crimes. Park was impeached on Dec. 9 for alleged violations of the constitution and criminal laws.

Samsung has been accused of generously sponsoring the 20-year-old daughter of Choi, Chung Yoo-ra. Chung was a gold medalist in dressage in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and suspicions were raised that the tech giant financed some of Chung’s activities as an equestrian athlete, such as buying a horse, Vitana V, reportedly worth 1 billion won ($838,574).  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

Here is what she may have been lobbying for to President Park in return for the money that Samsung was giving her sports foundation:

The independent counsel’s team is trying to find a link between Samsung’s generosity toward Choi and Chung and the National Pension Service’s approval of a controversial merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries last year. The $8 billion deal solidified heir apparent Lee Jae-yong’s grip on Samsung Electronics.

The prosecution investigated whether the Blue House strong-armed the state-run pension fund into backing the merger. It failed to prove the suspicion.

Determining the nature of the money Samsung gave to Choi and Chung — whether it was bribes for favors or not — is the top priority of investigators at the independent counsel, a source from the law enforcement authority told the JoongAng Ilbo.

You can read more at the link.

The woman behind the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye decided to make a surprise appearance at a hearing that she did not have to attend:

The close friend of President Park Geun-hye who is at the center of an influence-peddling scandal that has led to the president’s impeachment appeared at her first court hearing Monday and denied all charges raised.

Choi Soon-sil attended the first preparatory hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul. It was the first time she has appeared before the public since she was called in by prosecutors in late October.

“When I first came from Germany, I thought I should submit to any punishment,” said Choi, who was indicted last month over a string of corruption allegations involving the president and aides.

“But since I arrived here, I have gone through a lot of interrogations,” she said, without finishing the sentence.

When the presiding Judge Kim Se-yun asked whether she meant she denies all suspicions leveled against her, Choi said “yes.”

Choi returned home on Oct. 30 after nearly two months in Europe, following criticism from the public to answer questions raised against her.

“Eight of the allegations raised by the prosecution are that she colluded with the president,” Choi’s lawyer Lee Kyung-jae said. “As she did not collude with the president, she cannot be found guilty of the charges made.”

It is not mandatory for defendants to attend the preparatory procedures, which are meant for the prosecution and defense to discuss how the upcoming court hearings should proceed.

Lee told reporters in a text message earlier in the day she has “expressed her willingness to sincerely go through with the trial proceedings.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but it will be interesting to see if the prosecutors can prove that she bullied conglomerates into giving her non-profits money.  For all we know they could have been willingly giving her money because of her influence with President Park, much like corporations giving money to lobbyists in the US.

I can’t imagine a scenario where Chung Yoo-ra, the person who started the ROK Presidential scandal, ever steps foot on Ewha Women’s University ever again.  If she was a dedicated student that went to school the current ROK Presidential scandal may have never come to light:

The Korean Equestrian Federation signed off fake documents for presidential confidante Choi Soon-sil’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, to excuse her absences from high school and offer credit for social volunteer work she never did, according to a joint investigation by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee on Wednesday.

The Culture Ministry requested that the Korean Equestrian Federation punish every official who gave the 20-year-old preferential treatment. It also pledged to fully cooperate with the independent counsel that is currently digging into the influence-peddling scandal surrounding her mother and President Park Geun-hye.

The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee will soon be forced to penalize Chung, an equestrian athlete who gained admission to the prestigious Ewha Womans University last year after applying for a spot available to students with special sports talents, said the ministry.

The university has yet to kick Chung out, although its board of trustees demanded earlier this month to “eternally expel” her and punish 15 school officials who gave her leeway in admission, test scores and class attendance records.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but like I have said before who else is getting special treatment?

It is just amazing to me that Choi Soon-sil would leave a tablet computer with so much sensitive information on it in her former office with no password protection for anyone to open up and check out:

In its evening news program on Thursday, JTBC refuted rumors concerning how its reporter discovered presidential friend Choi Soon-sil’s tablet PC in October before anyone else, which proved to be a crucial piece of evidence against her.

Ko Young-tae, former head of The Blue K, a shell company suspected to be headed by Choi, accused JTBC during the parliamentary hearing on Wednesday of changing its statement on how it came to possess the tablet.

“JTBC first said that it found the tablet in a trash can in Germany, and then changed its statement to say that it found the tablet PC among things that Choi threw out of her house after being informed by Choi’s household manager,” Ko said in the hearing. “And then it changed its statement once more to say the tablet PC was found at my desk at my company.”

JTBC Newsroom anchor Sohn Suk-hee and JTBC reporter Suh Pok-hyun on Thursday evening provided explanations to rumors surrounding how the tablet was first discovered by its reporter.

An explanation was provided the first time that JTBC reported on the case, which was on Oct. 24, when Suh said during Newsroom, “JTBC reporters searched one of the offices that used to belong to Choi, and in one of them we found her tablet among things Choi left behind.”

Sohn and Suh provided the same explanation during the program on Thursday evening, and added that the tablet was first obtained by JTBC reporter Shim Su-mi, who visited the office of The Blue K in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, on Oct. 18.

According to JTBC, Shim found traces that both The Blue K and Widec Sports appear to be owned by Choi and found the former office of The Blue K before any other journalists. Shim received permission from the building manager and entered the office, finding a desk and the tablet there.

“The office was on sale for two months, and real estate agents could enter freely,” Suh said. “So the reporter entered an office that was not owned by anyone at the time.”

Shim, in finding the tablet, saw its charger was missing. She bought a charger for the tablet model, came back and opened six files, examined them and left the tablet there, according to JTBC.

She then returned two days later, for fear that the evidence inside could be destroyed by Choi or her confidants. She copied the files inside, and broke the news on Oct. 24. That same day, she handed the tablet over to prosecution.

At the parliamentary hearing Wednesday, a few lawmakers demanded JTBC reveal how it came to examine the tablet in the first place, as rumors that Ko or Choi’s ex-husband, Chung Yoon-hoi, chief of staff to Park from 1998 until 2004, gave it to JTBC.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

Things have gotten worse for the girl that started the down fall of the President of Korea by cheating at school, she has now lost her high school graduation diploma:

The education office in Seoul has annulled the high school graduation of Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye’s confidant Choi Soon-sil, after finding out her grades and attendance were fabricated and she had not fulfilled the requirements to graduate.

It also asked the prosecution to investigate Chung, Choi and 10 others involved in the irregularities in managing Chung’s attendance, tests and grades, including teachers and school board members at Chungdam High School.

The decision came about two weeks after the Ministry of Education ordered Ewha Womans University to cancel Chung’s admissions due to the university’s favors in admissions and grading.

In her third year at the high school in 2014, Chung, a dressage competitor, was absent for 141 days with the excuse that she participated in competitions or training overseas. She submitted related documents to prove her participation and the school acknowledged her absence.

“Of the documents, those for 105 days of absence were fabricated,” said Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), in a briefing, Monday.

The Korea Equestrian Federation falsely issued the documents although there was no training during the stated periods, he said. [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but I think it is pretty ridiculous that anyone that would miss 141 days in one school year would be allowed to graduate no matter what the excuse is.