Daughter of ex-president's crony claims she is innocent

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 31, 2017, 17:14 Updated : May 31, 2017, 17:14

[Press Corps]


"This is unfair," said the young daughter of ex-president Park Geun-hye's jailed crony Choi Soon-sil after she returned home from detention in Denmark to face an investigation into her role in a corruption scandal.

With her hands shackled, the 21-year-old defended herself in a nonchalant manner to a flurry of questions hurled by journalists waiting at the terminal of Incheon International Airport west of Seoul. She was repatriated five months after she was arrested in Denmark on charges of illegal stay.

"I don't know anything about relations between my mom and former president Park... and I think this is unfair on me," Chung said, making exaggerated facial expressions and sometimes smiling.

Choi's daughter insisted she was innocent, shifting the responsibility to her mother who is on trial on charges of meddling in state affairs, siphoning off money from two public foundations created with cash donations from dozens of conglomerates.

The press conference in Incheon coincided with a court case in which prosecutors demanded a seven-year jail term for Choi and a five-year prison term for former Ewha University head Choi Kyung-hee.

Prosecutors said the case revealed "systematic and unreasonable" irregularities by educators blind with avarice to provide special favors to Chung. "The defendants have seriously impaired social justice," they said in a statement, scolding the two for being "unrepentant" and lying from first to last.
 

[Press Corps]


Chung was accused of taking undue favors from Ewha regarding her admission and academic affairs by taking advantage of close ties between her mother and Park. Samsung Electronics is suspected of bankrolling Chung's equestrian training in Germany, but she said she had no knowledge of the deal.

However, she frankly admitted that she took undue academic favors. "Honestly speaking, I don't even know what I majored in. I never wanted to go to a university at the first place."

She said she decided to return home due to her baby without knowing well about her mother's court battle. "While I was in custody, I could not get access to the internet. So I don't know how she is doing."

Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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