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Choi Soon-sil | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1956-06-23)23 June 1956 (age 68) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Chung Yoo-ra |
| Parent(s) | Choi Tae-min (father) Lim Seon-yi (mother) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 최순실 |
| Hanja | 崔順實 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Sunsil |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Sunsil |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 최필녀 |
| Hanja | 崔畢女 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Pillyeo |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe P'illyŏ |
| Legal name | |
| Hangul | 최서원 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Seowon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Sŏwŏn |
Choi Soon-sil (Korean: 최순실;Korean pronunciation:[t͡ɕʰø.sun.ɕil]; born June 23, 1956) is a South Korean businesswoman known primarily for her involvement in the2016 South Korean political scandal, stemming from her influence over the 11thPresident of South Korea,Park Geun-hye.[1][2][3][4][5] In 2018, a court sentenced Choi to 20 years in prison oncorruption charges. Due to Choi's concurrent involvement in her father'sreligious cult, reporting media have called her "South Korea's Rasputin", in reference to RussianmysticGrigori Rasputin.[6][7][8][9][10]
Choi Soon-sil was born on June 23, 1956, as the fifth daughter in her family to Lim Seon-yi andChoi Tae-min, a formerBuddhist monk and the leader of The Church of Eternal Life, a cult that combined various elements ofBuddhism,Christianity, and traditionalKorean Shamanism.[11][12][13][14] Some media has reported that Choi Soon-il acted as ashaman (mudang) for the sect, although the accuracy of this label, as well as the legitimacy of her practice has been questioned by traditional shamans.[15][16][17] She is alleged to have founded aclique named the "Eight Fairies"[18] associated with theimpeachment of President Park Geun-hye.
She claimed to have enteredDankook University in 1975. However, upon later research it was discovered that she was only auditing classes. She was married to Kim Young-ho from 1982 to 1986 and they had a son in 1983. She was then married toChung Yoon-hoi from 1995 to 2014, and they had a daughter in 1996,dressage athleteChung Yoo-ra.[19] Chung Yoon-hoi had served as secretary to Choi Soon-sil's father,Choi Tae-min, and served as chief of staff to President Park Geun-hye during her time as a congresswoman in theNational Assembly.[20][21]
Choi's relationship with Park Geun-hye is believed to trace back to at least 1977. During her college years, Choi was the president of the National College Student Union, a student organization whose purpose was to "establish an uptight identity, a determined patriotism, and an independent value system". On June 10, 1977, the union held an opening meeting in Hanyang University that was attended by Park Geun-hye, the daughter of then-presidentPark Chung Hee, where the leader of theSaemaul peace corps sat to the right of Park and future presidentLee Myung-bak sat to her left.[22]
During the 1980s, Choi started managing a real estate business and operating kindergartens. In 1983, she acquired a 45-pyeong (about 149 square metres (1,600 sq ft)) parcel of land inYeoksam-dong, Seoul. In September 1985, she acquired a 108-pyeong (about 347 square metres (3,740 sq ft)) parcel of land inSinsa-dong, where she built a 4-story building and operated a kindergarten in the building. In July 1988, she bought a 200-pyeong (about 661 square metres (7,110 sq ft)) parcel of land in Sinsa-dong under a joint-contract with a partner.[23] Later, Choi bought back the joint shares of her partner and became the sole owner of the property. From 1992 to 1996, Choi established and operated JubelGmbH jointly with Chung Yoon-hoi, who she would marry during this period. In July 2003, Choi invested in the construction of a building with 7 floors above ground and 2 floors underground, which was later referred to as "M building". Chung Yoon-hoi's company was a tenant in this building. In February 2008, Choi sold the kindergarten building to a savings bank.
In 1989, Choi translated a child-care instruction book entitledHow To Hold Your Children's Habit Upright with Kim Kwang-Ung. This book stated that Choi was the vice president of a research center affiliated with the Korea Institute of Culture.[24]
In 2006, Park Geun-hye was attacked by a person with a razor while attending the election campaign of Seoul mayoral candidateOh Se-hoon as the leader ofGrand National Party. Choi Soon-sil looked after Park while she was hospitalized. After leaving the hospital, Park continued to receive treatment at the home of Choi Soon-sil's older sister, Choi Soon-deuk.[25]
At the outbreak of the 2016 political scandal, Choi operated a café and an Italian restaurant called "Testa Rossa" inNonhyeon-dong, located inGangnam, Seoul. The business had been operating since December 2014 in a remodeled building, where the first and second floor served as the café and restaurant and the third floor served as Choi's private office. An insider gave testimony that stated Choi had been meeting with politicians, influential businessmen, and business tycoons on the 2nd and 3rd floors of this building.[26]
In 2016, Choi was involved in a scandal that alleged that she was responsible for masterminding governmental policy and decision-making during Park's administration.[27][28][29][30][31][32][33] After these allegations arose, prosecutors ordered raids on offices and homes linked to Choi, where further evidence to support the claims were found.[34][35] It was also alleged that Choi ordered Korean prosecutors to indict Japanese journalistTatsuya Kato,Seoul Bureau chief ofSankei Shimbun, on defamation charges after he reported that President Park and Chung Yoon-hoi had a secret seven-hour meeting with Choi after thesinking of MV Sewol during an extended period after the sinking in which President Park could not be contacted.[36] Choi was also alleged to have used a South Korean overseas development assistance project (a convention center inMyanmar) for improper personal benefits.[37]: 58–59
On October 31, 2016, Choi met with prosecutors. Choi told reporters, "Please, forgive me. I'm sorry. I committed a sin that deserves death".[38][39] On November 20, Choi Soon-sil was officially charged by the prosecutors for intervening in state affairs and using her influence to forcechaebols to donate tens of millions of dollars to foundations and businesses she controlled.[40][41]
On 23 June 2017, the Seoul Central District Court found Choi guilty of charges of obstruction of duty by using her presidential ties to get her daughter admitted toEwha Womans University and receive good grades, and sentenced her to three years of imprisonment.[42] On 13 February 2018, the Seoul Central District Court found Choi guilty of charges of abuse of power, bribery, and interfering in government business, which extended her prison sentence by 20 years and ordered her to pay a fine of ₩18 billion (US$16.6 million).[43][44]
In June 2020, while still incarcarated, Choi, now going by Choi Seo-won, published a personal memoir titled "Who Am I", in which she denied having influenced Park in any way, claiming that she only provided emotional support as an "invisible person" during her presidency, and that her conviction was part of a government plot against her.[45][46]
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