Choi Soon-sil condemned for favouring daughter. She was a friend of Park in the corruption scandal

Three years in prison for asking college favors for her daughter. This is the first conviction for Choi, the confidant and friend of the former president. Now she will still have to answer allegations of corruption and undue influences in the huge scandal involving Samsung's management.

 

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The friend and collaborator of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to three years in jail for soliciting academic favors for her daughter. This is the first ruling against Choi Soon-sil, 61, who is already at the center of the legal proceedings for her involvement in the huge corruption scandal that led to the resignation of Park in March 2017.

The central court in Seoul has ruled Choi Soon-guil guilty of exerting pressure on the Ewha woman’s university in order to obtain favors for her daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, 21, through her close ties with the former president. The prosecution's request was seven years in prison. "She has committed too many ills to consider her actions as a result of the overwhelming love of a mother who wants the best for her child," the court explained. In 2015, Choi had obtained the daughter's entry to Ewha as a talented athlete: Chung is an equestrian. Afterwards, Choi intervened with the professors to apply for the registration of the exams that Chung never took.

The tribunal's ruling takes on a symbolic value in a far worse case: Choi has to defend herself from the accusation of undue influence in connection with the collection of bribes for a value of at least 7.8 billion won (equal to 6 , $ 85 million) from Samsung. The same procedure for which former President Park and the heiress of the Samsung Group, Lee Jae-yong, were also arrested and fined. Choi was considered a sort of occult counselor for Park and in the days of the square protest to get the former president's resignation, the most popular slogan referred to her, "Who is the real president?"

• South Korea
• seoul
• economy
• Park geun-hye
• Choi soon-il
• samsung