By Kim Bo-eun
The extradition of Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, the central figure in a massive scandal which has led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, is expected to take some time.
Chung, 20, was arrested in Denmark’s northern city of Aalborg, Sunday, for staying there illegally. A local Danish court approved a four-week extension of her confinement the following day. Chung appealed, but the higher court denied her appeal.
Chung is reported to have accepted the higher court’s ruling, but is unwilling to return to Korea under any circumstances, according to a Yonhap report, Friday.
Earlier, Chung, who has a 19-month-old son with her, proposed to Korean authorities that she would be willing to go to Korea if she could remain with her son, whether at a welfare center or hospital. The authorities denied her request.
She reportedly changed her stance after seeing with her son at the detention center, Thursday.
Chung is arguing that her son is the main reason for her not to be extradited, as she will be detained when she arrives in Korea and won’t be able to take care of him.
By Jan. 30, Danish authorities will review whether the charges Chung faces justify her extradition to Korea.
Chung denied the charges against her concerning allegedly receiving favors in admissions and grading in college, as well as being involved in Samsung’s provision of funds for her training expenses as a dressage competitor, which is suspected to have been a bribe for business favors from Cheong Wa Dae.
Authorities said they will push for another confinement extension if they do not reach a conclusion by the deadline.
Meanwhile, the Danish authorities’ firm stance on protecting human rights is also seen as a factor which could hinder the process to extradite Chung.
Although Chung is in the detention center alone and her son is being taken care of by a nanny, authorities have allowed Chung to meet with her son at the center.
Conditions at the detention center where Chung is currently held are also reportedly favorable, allowing access to TV, newspapers and books.
In addition, Danish authorities said they will take punitive measures against Korean reporters who took photographs of Chung and recorded her words inside a local court, citing the infringement of Chung’s human rights and breaking Danish law. The reporters will likely face fines.
She may take the issue to court, even if Danish authorities decide to extradite Chung, and that could take at least several months for the issue to be settled. The independent counsel’s probe into the scandal, in the meantime, will finish at the end of February.
Chung’s case could end up looking similar to that of Yoo Seom-na, the daughter of Yoo Byeong-eun, the deceased owner of the ferry Sewol, which sank and killed over 300 passengers. Seom-na has been fighting an extradition bid for two-years-and-eight-months in France.