Daughter of South Korea’s ‘Rasputin’ returns to face questioning
seoul — The equestrian daughter of South Korea’s “Rasputin”, whose lavish lifestyle in Europe was allegedly funded by millions of dollars in bribes, returned home on Wednesday to face questioning by prosecutors investigating an influence-peddling scandal that has rocked the country.
Chung Yoo-Ra is the daughter of Choi Soon-Sil, the close confidante of impeached ex-president Park Geun-Hye and the woman at the heart of the scandal which toppled Park.
Choi — dubbed “the female Rasputin” for her strong influence over Park — is on trial along with the expresident.
Prosecutors say cash for Chung’s equestrian training came from electronics giant Samsung, which had handed over the money as part of an attempt to curry favour with her powerful mother.
Chung, who was arrested by Danish police in January for overstaying her visa, dropped her appeal against extradition from Denmark last week.
She was arrested on a Korean Air flight from Amsterdam early Wednesday and was escorted off the plane at Incheon by a team of prosecutors to face a handful of journalists and television cameras.
She is accused of receiving bribes from Samsung, illegally moving money abroad and violating South Korean laws on the handling of foreign currency during her stay in Europe.
“I thought it was best to tell my side of the story and resolve the misunderstandings,” said Chung, 20, adding she had no knowledge of the “special treatment” she allegedly received.
The spiralling investigation has now caught up with Chung, who was also allegedly granted a place at the prestigious Ewha Womans University and given top grades thanks to her mother’s intervention.
Prosecutors said on Wednesday they intend to seek a seven-year jail term for Choi for her involvement in Chung’s illicit admission, while they said the former dean of Ewha — who has been arrested — could serve five years in prison.—