Danish court rejects Chung Yoo-ra's request for release

Chung Yoo-ra

By Jung Min-ho

A Danish high court has rejected Chung Yoo-ra’s appeal to overturn a district court decision to detain her.

According to the Danish prosecution, the Western High Court decided Tuesday (local time) that the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, the central figure in a massive influence-peddling scandal in Korea, must remain in custody until Jan. 30.

It is unclear whether she will take the case to the Supreme Court for a final decision.

Chung and four other Koreans, including her baby born in 2015, were apprehended at a house in Aalborg, Sunday, on charges of staying in the country illegally.

Investigators believe she may return to Korea voluntarily. But if she fights the extradition process in Danish courts, she may not return in time for Feb. 28, the deadline for an independent counsel team’s investigation.

The team led by special prosecutor Park Young-soo sent an extradition request as well as legal documents about her alleged crimes to the Danish prosecution through the Ministry of Justice. The ministry is expected to send the documents to Denmark within this week.

Mohammad Ahsan, deputy director at Denmark’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, said in a statement he believes the decision over her extradition will be made within a few weeks. But it depends on “when we receive the necessary documents from South Korea,” he added.

Chung is suspected of receiving special favors from Ewha Womans University in admissions and grading owing to the influence of her mother, who allegedly exploited her ties with President Park Geun-hye to benefit herself and her cronies.

Investigators are looking into who was behind the favors. So far, Lyou Chul-gyun, an Ewha professor known by his penname Lee In-hwa, has been arrested. More professors will soon be questioned. Among them is his colleague Kim Kyung-sook.

During questioning, Lyou said it was Kim who introduced Chung and Choi to him in 2015, and asked him three times to give Chung high grades she did not earn.

Speaking to Korean reporters in Denmark earlier this week, Chung said she also wondered about her higher-than-expected grades in 2015 because she did not attend classes that year after giving birth. She claimed to have no idea how it happened, but blamed any special treatment given to her on her mother.

However, according to the education ministry’s audit office, which inspected the university in October and November, Chung may know exactly how it happened.

During the inspection, auditors found that Chung and Choi met at least six Ewha professors personally, including Kim and former university president Choi Kyung-hee, during the 2015 spring semester.

According to the audit office, Kim, who was the dean of the College of Physical Education at that time, even gave “specific advice about how to receive good grades” to Chung with two other professors at her office.

The counsel team will summon Namkung Gon, former chief admissions officer at Ewha, today to question him over the allegations. He had earlier said that Kim mentioned Chung before the admissions process, hinting at favors for her.

During a Supreme Council meeting of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Rep. Kim Young-joo criticized Chung’s comments, urging the foreign and justice ministries to bring her back as soon as possible.

“She shows no signs of repentance,” the lawmaker said. “After enjoying all these unjust benefits, she is now selling out her mother to avoid any blame.”