New allegations involve Choi's older sister, niece
The speed skating venue of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games is seen, front left, along with other stadiums under construction in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. It is alleged that Jang Si-ho, Choi Soon-sil’s niece, sought to use her family’s influence to win the management rights of the skating venue after the Games are over. / Courtesy of Gangneung City Government
By Kim Se-jeong
More allegations have arisen in the influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye’s confidant Choi Soon-sil ― this time, surrounding her elder sister and niece.
While Choi was detained late Monday night, some observers suspect are that the sister, Choi Soon-deuk, was the real string-puller.
Soon-deuk and President Park have reportedly known each other for decades ― some suspect Park is even closer to Soon-deuk than Soon-sil. In 2006 when Park was slashed with a knife while campaigning for her political party, Soon-deuk took care of her at home alongside Soon-sil, according to recent reports.
Chosun Ilbo earlier interviewed Soon-deuk’s acquaintance and reported that Soon-deuk gave orders and Soon-sil acted accordingly. It is said that the elder sister is unwell and she mostly stays home.
It is newly alleged that Soon-deuk’s daughter Jang Si-ho, a former dressage competitor, has exercised influence in sports-related state projects with the aim of gaining control over the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.
Jang founded the Korea Winter Sports Elite Center (KWSEC), an organization to cultivate young athletes of winter sports, in June 2015. Her organization seems to have enjoyed unprecedented support: since its establishment, it collected subsidies from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism worth 670 million won ($587,335), which is rare for a new organization. The ministry said Tuesday it will stop giving money to the center.
According to local cable news channel JTBC, Jang allegedly pushed to assume management of one of four PyeongChang Olympics venues in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, after the Games are over.
A new building to be used for speed skating events was supposed to be demolished after the games. In April, however, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn announced the building, owned by Gangwon Provincial Government, will stay but didn’t specify who would manage it. JTBC reported the government received a proposal from the KWSEC regarding the usage of Olympic facilities in March and alleged Jang convinced the government to reverse its earlier plan.
To use the skating venue after the Olympics, Jang allegedly sought to relocate the national winter sports team’s official camp to Gangneung from current eastern Seoul.
Another suspicion is that Jang had her hands in a government-led K-pop promotion project on Jeju Island.
The culture ministry announced in February last year it would spend 150 billion won to open an exclusive K-pop performance venue on the island. That came three years after Jang moved to the island, according to news outlets. She purchased a house on the island in 2012 and rented an office there until August last year.
It is also said that Jang introduced Cha Eun-taek, an advertising director, to Choi Soon-sil. Cha is believed to be one of the members of Choi’s secret advisory group to President Park Geun-hye that has swayed government-led cultural projects.