Advertisement
Park Geun-hye
AsiaEast Asia

‘I know nothing’: equestrian champ daughter of ousted president Park’s friend returns to South Korea for corruption probe

She is probably the most loathed 20-year-old in South Korea, the privileged daughter of the woman at the centre of a political scandal that brought down a president.

2-MIN READ2-MIN
Chung Yoo-ra, the 20-year-old daughter of Choi Soon-sil, answers questions from the press after arriving at the Incheon International Airport. Photo: Reuters
Agence France-Presse

The equestrian daughter of South Korea’s “Rasputin”, whose lavish lifestyle in Europe was allegedly funded by millions of dollars in bribes, returned home 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 ex-president.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x