Denmark to extradite South Korea ‘Rasputin’ daughter

COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s prosecution authority said yesterday it had decided to extradite 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.

Chung Yoo-Ra, the 20-year-old daughter of the woman dubbed South Korea’s ‘Rasputin’, is one of the figures in the influencepeddling scandal that sparked massive street protests demanding the removal of President Park Geun-Hye.

Chung was detained in Denmark on Jan 1 for overstaying her visa, after South Korean authorities issued a warrant for her arrest. Seoul then sought her extradition.

“After having reviewed the South Korean request for extradition thoroughly, it is our opinion that all conditions for extradition in the Danish Extradition Act are met,” Mohammad Ahsan, deputy director of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, said in a statement.

Chung, who has denied any wrongdoing, has three days to appeal against the decision to the Danish courts.

The equestrian, who has reportedly bought horses and trained in Denmark in the past, has told police that she was in the country because of her involvement in the sport.

Chung’s mother, a confidante of Park, is accused of using her influence to secure her daughter’s admission to an elite Seoul university, with a state probe revealing the school had admitted Chung at the expense of other candidates with better qualifications.

The revelation touched a raw nerve in education-obsessed South Korea.

Several professors at Ewha Women’s University, including a former school president, have been investigated for allegedly giving Chung preferential treatment.