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19-424: Choi Soon-sil was born on June 23, 1956, as the fifth daughter in her family to Lim Seon-yi and Choi Tae-min , a former Buddhist monk and the leader of The Church of Eternal Life, a cult that combined various elements of Buddhism , Christianity , and traditional Korean Shamanism . Some media has reported that Choi Soon-il acted as a shaman ( mudang ) for the sect, although the accuracy of this label, as well as

38-474: A scandal involving his daughter, Choi Soon-sil , broke out, with allegations that she too has exerted undue influence over President Park. Choi Tae-min set up a religious group called Yongsae-gyo ( 영세교 ), or "Church of the Spirit World", and declared himself Maitreya , or a "Future Buddha". He befriended Park Geun-hye soon after her mother, Yuk Young-soo , was assassinated in 1974. According to

57-482: A kindergarten in the building. In July 1988, she bought a 200-pyong (about 661 square meters) parcel of land in Sinsa-dong under a joint-contract with a partner. Later, Choi bought back the joint shares of her partner and became the sole owner of the property. From 1992 to 1996, Choi established and operated Jubel GmbH jointly with Chung Yoon-hoi, who she would marry during this period. In July 2003, Choi invested in

76-492: A report by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency from the 1970s that was published by a South Korean news magazine in 2007, Choi initially approached Park Geun-hye by telling her that her mother had appeared to him in his dreams, asking him to help her daughter. Choi was an associate of former-president President Park Chung Hee until the latter's death by assassination in 1979. Kim Jae-gyu ,

95-487: A secret seven-hour meeting with Choi after the sinking of MV Sewol during an extended period after the sinking in which President Park could not be contacted. Choi was also alleged to have used a South Korean overseas development assistance project (a convention center in Myanmar ) for improper personal benefits. On October 31, 2016, Choi met with prosecutors. Choi told reporters, “Please, forgive me. I'm sorry. I committed

114-631: A sin that deserves death”. On November 20, Choi Soon-sil was officially charged by the prosecutors for intervening in state affairs and using her influence to force chaebols to donate tens of millions of dollars to foundations and businesses she controlled. On 23 June 2017, the Seoul Central District Court found Choi guilty of charges of obstruction of duty by using her presidential ties to get her daughter admitted to Ewha Womans University and receive good grades, and sentenced her to three years of imprisonment. On 13 February 2018,

133-526: A son in 1983. She was then married to Chung Yoon-hoi from 1995 to 2014, and they had a daughter in 1996, dressage athlete Chung Yoo-ra . Chung Yoon-hoi had served as secretary to Choi Soon-sil's father, Choi Tae-min , and served as chief of staff to President Park Geun-hye during her time as a congresswoman in the National Assembly . Choi's relationship with Park Geun-hye is believed to trace back to at least 1977. During her college years, Choi

152-564: The American Embassy in Seoul reported rumors that Mr. Choi, a 'Korean Rasputin ', "had complete control over Park’s body and soul during her formative years and that his children accumulated enormous wealth as a result." He used seven different names: Tatsuya Kato (journalist) Tatsuya Kato (加藤 達也, Katō Tatsuya, born 1966) is a Japanese journalist who was a Seoul bureau chief of South Korea at Sankei Shimbun . He

171-589: The 2nd and 3rd floors of this building. In 2016, Choi was involved in a scandal that alleged that she was responsible for masterminding governmental policy and decision-making during Park's administration. After these allegations arose, prosecutors ordered raids on offices and homes linked to Choi, where further evidence to support the claims were found. It was also alleged that Choi ordered Korean prosecutors to indict Japanese journalist Tatsuya Kato , Seoul Bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun , on defamation charges after he reported that President Park and Chung Yoon-hoi had

190-539: The Seoul Central District Court found Choi guilty of charges of abuse of power, bribery, and interfering in government business, which extended her prison sentence by 20 years and ordered her to pay a fine of ₩18 billion (US$ 16.6 million). In June 2020, while still incarcarated, Choi, now going by Choi Seo-won, published a personal memoir titled "Who Am I", in which she denied having influenced Park in any way, claiming that she only provided emotional support as an "invisible person" during her presidency, and that her conviction

209-414: The construction of a building with 7 floors above ground and 2 floors underground, which was later referred to as "M building". Chung Yoon-hoi's company was a tenant in this building. In February 2008, Choi sold the kindergarten building to a savings bank. In 1989, Choi translated a child-care instruction book entitled How To Hold Your Children's Habit Upright with Kim Kwang-Ung. This book stated that Choi

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228-472: The director of the KCIA who assassinated President Park Chung Hee, told a court that one of his motives was what he called the president's failure to stop Choi Tae-min's corrupt activities and keep him away from his daughter. In a newspaper interview in 2007, Park Geun-hye called Choi a patriot and said she was grateful for his counsel and comfort during "difficult times". A 2007 leaked diplomatic cable from

247-663: The home of Choi Soon-sil's older sister, Choi Soon-deuk. At the outbreak of the 2016 political scandal, Choi operated a café and an Italian restaurant called “Testa Rossa" in Nonhyeon-dong , located in Gangnam, Seoul . The business had been operating since December 2014 in a remodeled building, where the first and second floor served as the café and restaurant and the third floor served as Choi's private office. An insider gave testimony that stated Choi had been meeting with politicians, influential businessmen, and business tycoons on

266-412: The legitimacy of her practice has been questioned by traditional shamans. She is alleged to have founded a clique named the " Eight Fairies " associated with the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye . She claimed to have entered Dankook University in 1975. However, upon later research it was discovered that she was only auditing classes. She was married to Kim Young-ho from 1982 to 1986 and they had

285-535: The right of Park and future president Lee Myung-bak sat to her left. During the 1980s, Choi started managing a real estate business and operating kindergartens. In 1983, she acquired a 45- pyong (about 149 square meters) parcel of land in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul . In September 1985, she acquired a 108-pyong (about 347 square meters) parcel of land in Sinsa-dong , where she built a 4-story building and operated

304-760: Was indicted in October 2014 on charges of defamation for reporting the relationship of President Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil 's husband, Chung Yoon-hoi , by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea after the MV Sewol sank . He was acquitted in December 2015 in what has been described as a small victory for freedom of the press in South Korea . This article about

323-751: Was part of a government plot against her. Choi Tae-min Choi Tae-min (5 May 1912 – 1 May 1994) was the leader of the Church of Eternal Life, a South Korean cult combining elements of Buddhism , Christianity , and traditional Korean Shamanism . Choi, originally a Buddhist monk , then a convert to Presbyterian pastor, was married six times. He was the mentor of the impeached South Korean president, Park Geun-hye (the daughter of former president Park Chung Hee ), until his death in 1994. He allegedly used his relationship with Park to solicit bribes from government officials and businessmen. In late 2016,

342-611: Was the president of the National College Student Union, a student organization whose purpose was to “establish an uptight identity, a determined patriotism, and an independent value system”. On June 10, 1977, the union held an opening meeting in Hanyang University that was attended by Park Geun-hye, the daughter of then-president Park Chung Hee , where the leader of the Saemaul peace corps sat to

361-465: Was the vice president of a research center affiliated with the Korea Institute of Culture. In 2006, Park Geun-hye was attacked by a person with a razor while attending the election campaign of Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon as the leader of Grand National Party . Choi Soon-sil looked after Park while she was hospitalized. After leaving the hospital, Park continued to receive treatment at

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