S. Korea prosecutors seek 25 years for ex-president’s friend

Park’s longtime friend Choi Soon-Sil — the daughter of her religious guru — was vilified at the massive nationwide protests last year that rocked Asia’s fourth-largest economy and led to Park’s impeachment.

Choi was “the alpha and omega of the scandal”, a prosecutor told the Seoul Central District Court, “the very person who created a national crisis which resulted in the country’s first-ever impeachment of a president.”

She “took advantage of presidential authorities to seek personal profit, undermined constitutional values and rattled the government system”, he added. “Please sentence Choi to 25 years in prison.”

He also sought fines and asset seizures totalling 126.2 billion won — around $116 million.

The 61-year-old is accused of colluding with Park to extort millions of dollars from conglomerates, including South Korean giants Samsung and Hyundai, and using her connection with the president to meddle in state affairs.

Choi denies all 18 charges, including abuse of power, coercion and bribery.

She was heard screaming outside a side exit after the prosecutors issued their demand, before whimpering her way through a 20-minute final statement.

“I don’t want to live any longer,” she told the court, wearing a black jacket with a prison number pinned on her chest. “I’d rather die to prove my innocence.”

“I have been framed,” she added. “I have never taken any personal gains in collusion with President Park.”

The verdict will be given on January 26. If she is convicted, the judges are not obliged to follow the prosecutors’ recommendation.

Her defence lawyer Lee Kyung-Jae told the court: “25 years in prison? This would amount to telling the accused to die in prison.”

– ‘Proved beyond doubt’ –

Prosecutors also demanded a four-year prison sentence for the chairman of retail conglomerate Lotte Group, Shin Dong-Bin, and six years for a former presidential aide.

The scandal, one of the largest in South Korea’s modern history, has exposed networks of privilege among the country’s business and political elite and has seen a handful of officials and business leaders put behind bars.

Lee Jae-Yong — heir to the world’s largest smartphone maker Samsung — began a five-year prison sentence in August for bribery, perjury and other charges relating to payments made by the company to Choi.

Lee was found guilty of paying a total of 8.9 billion won ($7.9 million) in return for favours including government support for his succession at Samsung after his father was left bedridden by a heart attack in 2014. He is appealing the verdict.

Park was impeached in March and was taken into custody shortly afterwards.

Her own separate trial on multiple charges including abuse of power, coercion and bribery is continuing after the court extended her detention by six months in October, prompting her defence team to resign in protest.

It is unclear when a verdict might come in her marathon case, which involves more than 100 witnesses.

But Thursday’s request suggests prosecutors will demand a sentence of at least 25 years for her.

“It has been proved beyond any doubt that Choi and the former president colluded to take bribes,” the prosecutor said Thursday.