Prosecution puts focus on Choi Soon-sil's whereabouts

By Kim Bo-eun

Prosecutors investigating the K-Sports and Mir foundations are focusing on the whereabouts of Choi Soon-sil, a close confidant of President Park Geun-hye, and other key figures involving the scandal-ridden organizations.

Choi, her daughter and several other key figures are currently out of the country and it is unclear when authorities will be able to get hold of them.

Choi, the daughter of President Park’s mentor Choi Tae-min and ex-wife of her former aide Chung Yoon-hoi, is suspected of having the two foundations set up under the pretext of globally promoting Korean sports and culture, but instead used them as fundraising vehicles for her personal benefit.

The prosecution has been summoning officials of the two foundations which are suspected to have been controlled by Choi _ a K-Sports foundation official was questioned Monday, and Mir foundation’s inaugural Chairman Kim Hyung-su and K-Sports director Kim Pil-seung, Sunday.

However, prosecutors are unable to question the figure at the center of the scandal as her whereabouts remain unclear.

Choi and her daughter Chung Yoo-ra are believed to be staying in Germany, where Choi established two companies The Blue K and Widec Sports.

When Choi and her daughter left Korea is unknown.

Chung, 20, reportedly had a baby around the time they left, after marrying a fellow equestrian in December in Germany.

An online outlet picked up a post by Chung on social media which showed a sonogram and said she was 25 weeks into her pregnancy in January 2015. Chung’s Facebook page was recently deleted.

Choi reportedly stayed in Schmitten and neighbors told MBC and other TV broadcasters that an elderly Asian woman, a young mother and a baby lived there.

The owner of an equestrian center Jagerhof told a media outlet that Chung had been questioned by Hessen state health authorities in October last year on suspicions of child abuse. Chung, a dressage competitor, had signed with the center to receive training there.

The questioning had taken place while Choi and Chung were residing in a house within the equestrian center grounds.

The owner said neighbors had reported Chung out of concerns over hygiene, as the family was residing in small living quarters with 15 dogs and five cats.

The baby also had not received a checkup required to be taken within six months of birth, according to the report.

The companies The Blue K and Widec Sports, which Choi set up in Germany, are said to train athletes and engage in sports exchanges. However, Choi is suspected of having funneled funds provided by the K-Sports foundation to the companies to use for training expenses for Chung, who is seeking to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Suspicions of Cheong Wa Dae’s intervention arose as it was found that approval for the establishment of the two foundations was made in a single day, whereas the process usually takes at least several weeks. A total of 80 billion won was raised by swift donations from top domestic companies through the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) in just two months, raising suspicions that Cheong Wa Dae was behind the establishment of the foundations and pressured the companies.