[Yonhap News Photo ]
The crony of South Kora's jailed ex-president Park Geun-hye was given a three-year prison sentence for ruining social justice in the first case involving her daughter who was accused of receiving undue favors regarding her school admission and academic affairs.
The court ruled that Choi Soon-sil was found guilty of obstructing duty by using her ties with the ousted former president to secure illegal favors from Ewha Womans University for her 21-year-old daughter, Chung Yoo-ra.
It was the first court ruling since Choi was indicted on charges of meddling in state affairs, siphoning off money from two public foundations created with cash donations from dozens of conglomerates.
Choi, 61, should be punished for ignoring law and procedures for her daughter after being obsessed with a biased maternal perception that her daughter should get good favors. Former Ewha president Choi Kyung-hee was sentenced to two years and a former senior faculty member to 18 months in jail.
"This criminal case shook the roots of our social belief that opportunities can be given according to efforts and ability," the court said in a statement. "Fairness has seriously damaged its value."
Prosecutors have argued the case revealed "systematic and unreasonable" irregularities by educators blind with avarice to provide special favors to Chung, who is suspected of colluding with her mother to hide illegal money.
Chung was extradited on March 31 five months after she was arrested in Denmark on charges of illegal stay. Samsung Electronics is suspected of bankrolling her equestrian training in Germany, but she insisted she was innocent, shifting the responsibility to her mother.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
