Chung Yoo-ra [Newsis]
Chung Yoo-ra [Newsis]

Chung Yoo-ra, daughter of Choi Seo-won (formerly known as Choi Soon-sil), has appealed for help, saying the government's demand for reimbursement of tens of millions of won in medical bills is making it impossible to pay for her mother's surgery — even though Choi was released on a suspension of sentence for medical treatment.

On Saturday, Chung wrote on her Facebook page that the government, which had promised a decade ago to cover her mother's medical costs in exchange for the family not filing a lawsuit over shoddy prison construction, had now filed a reimbursement claim covering 10 years of hospital bills. "The prison side agreed to pay the medical expenses in lieu of a lawsuit, so demanding payment immediately after the suspension of sentence is tantamount to telling her to go back inside," she wrote, expressing fury at the government's move.

She also lamented that she had been left with only a middle school education and stripped of her equestrian athlete license, leaving her struggling to feed her three children. "I can barely put food on the table, and now they're asking me to pay tens of millions of won in medical bills — it's suffocating," she wrote.

Chung added that she and her mother spend their days saying a death sentence would be better, and expressed bitterness that everyone else had been released while her mother remained behind bars as the perpetrators live comfortably.

"I have no dreams or hope anymore. My last wish is simply for my elderly mother to have her surgery and recover her health," she added.

Meanwhile, prosecutors accepted Choi's application for a suspension of sentence on health grounds, halting her imprisonment for three months. Choi has been serving time at Cheongju Women's Prison after a final ruling in June 2020 sentenced her to 18 years in prison, a fine of 20 billion won ($13 million) and a surcharge of 6.3 billion won on charges including abuse of authority, violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery) and obstruction of business — all stemming from the state affairs manipulation scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye.


husn7@heraldcorp.com