Where is Choi Soon-sil's daughter?

By Kim Bo-eun

Chung Yoo-ra

The independent counsel investigating the influence-peddling scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil is taking measures to track down Choi’s daughter Chung Yoo-ra, who also faces questioning about her involvement in the affair.

The team is presuming that Chung, 20, is in Germany, where she and her mother are believed to have stayed until the latter came back to Korea in late October, but her exact whereabouts remain unknown.

According to reports, Chung was seen in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe early this month. A local newspaper reported she was seen in Frankfurt in mid-December; while there have also been rumors that she was seen in the U.S.

The counsel team said it acquired information that Chung is attempting to seek asylum in Switzerland, which Chung and Choi’s legal representative Lee Kyung-jae denied. It is seeking to confirm whether this is true.

The team said Thursday it has placed Chung on the wanted list. It warned that anyone helping Chung flee or destroy evidence would be regarded as an accomplice and could face criminal charges. Earlier this week the team secured a warrant to detain Chung and has requested cooperation from German authorities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said it would order Chung to hand in her passport by a set deadline, by sending the written order to Chung’s legal representative. The ministry said if she does not return the passport, the passport will be annulled. In this case she will face deportation.

Chung, a dressage competitor, faces charges of obstruction of work at Ewha Womans University, where she was admitted unfairly by taking advantage of her mother’s influence.

She will be questioned about favors in admissions and grading that the school allegedly gave her. But the counsel team also believes that bringing Chung back to Korea will pressure Choi to open up about her allegations such as bribery and abuse of power, which she has been denying.

When Choi entered the country in late October, she pleaded with investigation authorities to show generosity to her daughter, and the counsel team’s hard-line stance toward Chung may force her mother, Choi, to provide testimony.

Choi’s testimony is key to proving allegations that Samsung provided a significant amount of money to her and her daughter in exchange for Cheong Wa Dae exerting influence for a merger of its affiliates to take place last year. This is a crucial part of the team’s probe as it could prove third-party bribery allegations between the President, Samsung and Choi, which will also affect the Constitutional Court’s upcoming ruling on the President’s impeachment.

In the meantime, the team said it has drawn up a special unit to look into the accumulated wealth of the Choi family, following allegations that Choi has trillions of won in secret assets in Germany and other European nations.