South Korea’s Scandal of the Century
CNN
The South Korean scandal of the century involves a whole cast of characters. It involves ex-presidents and shadow advisors. It involves heads of conglomerates and colleges too. The scandal broke just two years ago, but there is more to it than the headlines and what’s been covered in the media. The trial actually goes back to the early 1900s, with the founding of a shamanistic cult that would influence the South Korean president. The timeline of the scandal ended in a myriad of convictions for bribery, corruption, embezzlement, influence peddling, and more. While there are different levels of guilt in this situation, everyone involved is culpable for a scandal that took down an entire presidency.
Future Buddha / Shutterstock.com Next arrow_forward The Future Buddha
Though the scandals did not break until 2016, the actual story of the biggest scandal in South Korea begins in the early 1900s. It was then that the scandal’s foundation formed. A man named Choi Tae-min founded a religious cult known as the Church of the Spirit World. The cult was multi-religious, combining Buddhism, Shamanism, and Christianity. Tae-min called himself “The Future Buddha.” He was married six times and went by seven different names. Tae-min had a daughter, Choi Soon-sil. Tae-min and Choi Soon-sil grew close with Park Geun-hye, the daughter of the president of Korea at the time.
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Two Fatal Shootings
By Alice Hou
Park Geun-hye was the daughter of Yuk Young-soo and the Korean president Park Chung-hee. In 1975, an assassin attempted to kill Yuk Young-soo’s husband. The assassin, a North Korean loyalist, failed. He instead hit Yuk Yong-soo, killing her. After Yong-soo’s death, Choi Tae-min approached the young Park Geun-hye. He told her that, in a dream, her deceased mother spoke to him and told him to help her daughter. Park Geun-hye believed him. She grew entangled with the famous cult leader and his daughter. Five years later, Park Chung-hee was assassinated. Park Geun-hye stepped in for her father. And, as a result, so did Choi Tae-min and Choi Soon-sil.
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The Korean Rasputin
By Alice Hou
Park Geun-hye was a young political firebrand. She adopted a tough stance on the North Korean regime. She was acting first lady despite being so young. Tae-min realized that her power would transfer to him as long as he played his cards right. Tae-min heavily influenced the young politician. He was nicknamed, out of earshot, “the Korean Rasputin.” The original event that brought Tae-min and Park together was his contact with her mother in the afterlife. That impacted Park deeply, causing her to develop an even further loyalty to him. What began as a closeness soon turned sinister. When he died in 1994, his daughter slid seamlessly into his place.
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JTBC Finds an Abandoned Computer
By Alice Hou
The extent to which Choi Soon-sil influenced Park Geun-hye’s presidency would have gone unknown were it not for the press. JTBC, the South Korean branch of CNN, found an abandoned tablet computer that belonged to Choi Soon-sil. on the computer, JTBC found evidence of corruption. Choi Soon-sil did not have security clearance, nor was she officially a staff member of the presidential office. Yet, on her computer, she had illegal access to tons of secret documents, presidential speeches, and more. The computer also contained evidence of more than just mere unauthorized access to papers.
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The Wikileaks Cable
By Alice Hou
A Wikileaks cable released around the same time that the scandal was erupting. The cable dated back to 2007. It detailed the influence that Choi had over Park. She controlled, the cable said, all aspects of Park’s “body and soul.” Choi told Park what to wear, who to talk to, and what to say. If Park had a speech, Choi saw it in advance and approved. If Park had to make a tough choice, Choi manipulated her into making the “right” one. This influence grew stronger as the years passed. It developed strong roots during Park’s formative years that stuck. The question has become, post-scandal, whether Park really ever was a free leader.
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Choi’s Coercion
By Alice Hou
After the discovery of the documents, people in Choi’s circle began to talk. one staff member said she was “the de facto regent.” The staff compared Choi to a puppeteer, stringing along the outwardly strong Park. Investigations picked up steam. Choi had access to military intelligence concerning North Korea. Not only that, she also coerced major companies, including Samsung, into donating millions to two foundations. These foundations were shams that Choi set up to funnel the money to herself. She used the power of Park’s office—which had really become her office—to force over $68 million in donations.
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Choi Pulls Strings for Her Daughter
By Alice Hou
The list of corruption continued, reaching into Choi’s family tree. Choi’s daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, attended Ewha University. Ewha, located in Seoul, educated women students and the country considered it very prestigious. Choi’s daughter was part of the equestrian program at the school thanks to her mother’s influence. Choi also pressured Ewha into changing academic policy at the school so that Chung would get As without attending class. Allegations of favoritism coincided with protests at the school. Several Ewha officials eventually received indictments for bribery. Chung remained unscathed. It is unknown just how much Chung knew about her mother’s corrupt influence on Ewha.
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Mass Protests Occur
By Alice Hou
As news of the scandal broke, mass protests occurred throughout South Korea. There were six mass rallies that took place through Seoul. Thousands of people turned out, demanding the resignation of Park. The rallies began in late October and continued on. Corruption had long been a pressure point in South Korean politics, so people’s frustration boiled over at this over-the-top scandal. Park’s approval ratings were already sinking before the crisis. Her decision-making, likely influenced by Choi, had been erratic. For example, a crisis known as the Sewol Ferry Disaster killed 300 people, many of whom were children. During crucial moments in the crisis, Park was missing. That started her approval downfall. When the scandal broke, it sank to 17%.
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Choi Runs to Germany
By Alice Hou
Choi, perhaps seeing the protests and anger, ran to Germany. She claimed that she couldn’t return to South Korea because she had had a “mental breakdown.” She said she would return when she was well enough to face punishment. But, hiding out in German did not go as planned. German officials learned of the notorious South Korean criminal’s presence and began their own investigation. They found that she had stashed hundreds of millions in shell companies using German accounts. Choi had formed relationships in Germany for three decades to achieve this tax evasion. As a result, German officials confiscated Choi’s money.
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The Impeachment of Park Geun-hye
By Alice Hou
As expected, Park Geun-hye was impeached for her corruption. She appealed the impeachment, but in March 2017, a court upheld it. Park had made a public apology to the nation, the first ever by a president, but it didn’t matter. The rallies in Seoul only furthered the impeachment process. But losing her political career wasn’t the only issue. She now had to contend with criminal charges. Dubbed “The Trial of the Century” in South Korea, it began in May 2017. In May, there was a snap election for a new leader. Mass celebrations occurred throughout the spring after Park’s impeachment and the trial.
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The Trial of the Century Begins
By Alice Hou
The trial of Park began, but she was not the only official on the hook for corruption. Choi Soon-sil, labeled a shadow-president, also went on trial. The head of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong, was also tried. Shin Dong-bin, head of the Lotte Group, was indicted around that time. The trials were separate and took place at different times throughout 2017 and 2018. But, all ended in conviction and imprisonment. Others, less widely-known, went on trial. They included officials at Ewha, the women’s college that Choi’s daughter attended, and officials from smaller companies. These companies had paid out bribes to Choi’s fake foundations. They were just some of many Korean prosecutors pulled into their net.
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Lee Jae-yong Imprisoned for Five Years
By Alice Hou
Lee Jae-yong is the grandson of the late founder of Samsung, a tech company known across the world. Lee’s father was the chair of Samsung, but after his heart attack, he stepped away from the job. Lee became the de facto head of the company. Lee made Forbes’ list of the 100 Most Powerful People, coming in at #40 with a $6 billion net worth. Lee’s crime was paying $37.7 million to Choi’s fake foundations. In exchange, Choi supported a merger that gave Lee even more power over an even larger company. At trial, Lee admitted to the charges but claimed Samsung got nothing in return. The court did not believe him. The sentence handed down was five years.
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Choi Soon-sil Imprisoned for Twenty-Three Years
By Alice Hou
Choi Soon-sil, the shadow president behind Park, earned no mercy from the court. She first received a sentence of three years in June 2017 for her coercion of Ewha. Then, in early 2018, a Korean court handed her a twenty-year sentence for, well, everything else. Choi’s charges included corruption, abuse of power, and influence-peddling. She was also fined $16.6 million. In total, the years in prison will reach 23. She appeared to show remorse at one point, calling her crimes “unpardonable.” The judge agreed, referring to her guilt as “heavy.” In contrast to Park, Choi was repentant throughout the trial.
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Shin Dong-bin Imprisoned for Two and a Half Years
By Alice Hou
Lotte Group, a major retail conglomerate in South Korea, was no stranger to scandal. Lotte Group’s founder’s sons openly hated one another, and they had previously held a long, public, and vicious battle for control over Lotte. Shin Dong-bin won out over his brother, but his victory was short-lasting. Shin Dong-bin was sentenced to two and a half years for embezzlement and bribery in connection to the Park scandal. He served eight months before a court suspended the sentence. Throughout his imprisonment, the company stuck by him. Lotte Group refused to allow Shin Dong-bin’s brother assume leadership, preferring the jailed CEO instead.
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Park Geun-hye Imprisoned For 24 Years
By Alice Hou
Finally, Park Geun-hye received the longest sentence out of everyone involved. At the end of the day, she was the one who was supposed to be in charge. Though Choi had influence, Park was the one elected on an anti-corruption platform. The public was the angriest with her. Park denied her dozens of corruption-related charges throughout the trial. The judge commented that she remained unrepentant throughout. She made a public apology, showing remorse for causing the country “heartache,” but the apology was hollow. She received a 24-year sentence. She will serve out the sentence in the same prison as Choi Soon-sil.
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Moon Jae-In Takes Power: A New Day
By Alice Hou
So, where does South Korea go from here? There was a fast election in order to prevent a leadership vacuum. Moon Jae-In won the election. His reputation is as a reformer, and he took office in spring 2017 after running on that platform. He is a Roman Catholic father of two who is aligned with the Democratic party. People have spoken highly of him as an ethical leader, and he made a name for himself outside of politics as a human rights lawyer. He’s hoped to become a negotiator with the North Koreans, who were delighted at Park’s downfall. Kim Jong-Un, news outlets reported, was especially amused with the scandal. That amusement, hopefully, will be short-lived.
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