Choi's 3-year sentence in Ehwa admissions scandal upheld

By Kim Hyun-bin

The Supreme Court upheld a three-year prison sentence imposed on Choi Soon-sil, a close confidant of former President Park Geun-hye, for exerting inappropriate influence to enroll her daughter at Ewha Womans University.

“She disregarded law and order, violated principal and regulations,” the court said Tuesday.

Choi was found guilty of colluding with officials from Ewha Womans University to get her 22-year-old daughter Chung Yoo-ra special treatment in the school's admissions process.

She and several Ewha officials including then-university President Choi Kyung-hee were indicted in 2016 on charges of obstruction of duty.

Choi used her ties with the former president to demand her daughter's professors give grades for papers she never submitted and exams she never took.

Last June, a lower court found Choi guilty verdict, stating there was “too much wrongdoing to consider her actions were solely out of love for her child,” and sentenced her to three years in prison.

In November, a higher court upheld the prison term, citing she ignored the law and legal procedures.

The Supreme Court also upheld two-year jail terms for the disgraced former Ewha president and a professor, Kim Kyoung-sook, for their involvement.

Choi, who has been detained over a massive corruption scandal, will remain in a detention center until her other trials are concluded.

In February, a lower court sentenced her to 20 years in prison with a fine of 18 billion won ($16.9 million) and the forfeiture of 7.29 billion won, for bribery, abuse of power and coercion.

The ruling came 450 days after she was indicted on 18 counts of corruption in November 2016.

“Choi's actions have shaken societal order, causing great confusion and leading to the unprecedented impeachment of a president,” the judge said. ”Her meddling in state affairs has angered citizens, but she has shown no signs of remorse and consistently denied the charges. Severe punishment is unavoidable.”

Using her ties with the former president, Choi forced 50 conglomerates to pay a combined 77.4 billion won to two nonprofit foundations she ran _ K-Sports and Mir foundations _ and other affiliated organizations.

In April, former President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years in prison and fined 18 billion won.

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Park on 16 of 18 charges including abuse of power, bribery, coercion and the mishandling of state secrets.