Daughter of S. Korea’s ‘Rasputin’ arrested in Denmark

338

SEOUL: 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, has been arrested in Denmark after months in hiding, Seoul prosecutors said Monday.

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

Danish police arrested Chung Sunday night for overstaying her visa, Korean prosecutors said, adding they were in talks with Danish authorities to have her deported to Seoul.

Choi, a secret confidante of Park, is accused of using her ties with the president to force top firms including Samsung to “donate” nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations Choi then used as her personal ATMs.

She is also 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.