Jeong Yu-ra [Newsis]
Jeong Yu-ra [Newsis]

Choi Seo-won, also known as Choi Soon-sil, who was temporarily released from prison on a stay of execution to undergo back surgery, has seen her health deteriorate severely, with delirium leaving her unable to control her bladder and bowels, according to her daughter.

Jeong Yu-ra, Choi's daughter, wrote on her Facebook page Thursday that her mother "is so affected by delirium that she relieves herself where she sits, and confuses events from five or six years ago as if they happened yesterday."

Jeong said her mother now needs surgery that had been repeatedly delayed due to high inflammation levels and delirium, but that the family faces the added burden of finding a new hospital room and a caregiver. "We cannot keep up with the mounting hospital bills," she wrote, appealing for help.

She added that her mother "now says she wants to let go of life," and pleaded: "I no longer care about restoring her reputation or recovering assets — I just want my mother to live."


husn7@heraldcorp.com