Police in Denmark arrest daughter of 'Korean Rasputin'

The special prosecutors investigating the case of Korean Rasputin Choi had asked Interpol on Tuesday to put the 20-year-old on the wanted list.

Seoul, Jan 2 Police in Denmark arrested on Monday the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye's close friend whose involvement in corruption led to Park's removal last year, official said.

Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, was arrested on charges of "illegal stay" by the police who subsequently notified their South Korean counterparts, the National Police Agency, said local news agency Yonhap. The special prosecutors investigating the case of Korean Rasputin Choi had asked Interpol on Tuesday to put the 20-year-old on the wanted list.

This was done after Chung refused to respond to the summons demanding her to appear in South Korea to testify, Efe news reported. The investigation team, which obtained an arrest warrant for Chung on December 22, was collaborating with relevant agencies to deport her to her home country. Investigators believe Chung received undue favours in university and high school due to her mother's ties to the President.

Her high school diploma was also annulled on the grounds that her grades and attendance records were fabricated. Her mother, Choi Soon-il, is considered the mastermind in influence peddling and corruption scandal that led Parliament to impeach Park, a decision yet to be ratified by the Constitutional Court.

Choi, 60, is accused of meddling in state affairs despite not holding any official position, as well as extorting large sums of money from Korean companies and appropriating part of it for personal use. Prosecutors believe that the Samsung Group, the country's largest company, had signed a contract worth some about $18.2 million with a Germany-based company owned by Choi and also provided financial support for Chung.

IANS