A woman who appears to be Choi Soon-sil, longtime confidant of President Park Geun-hye, walks toward customs at Incheon International Airport on Sunday morning after a flight from Heathrow Airport in London. The central figure in the Park administration's biggest influence-peddling scandal dodged an immediate investigation from the prosecution as she was given a day of rest. The photo was taken by a passenger. / Yonhap



Prosecutors will summon Choi tomorrow at 3 pm



By Jung Min-ho

Choi Soon-sil, who allegedly used her friendship with President Park Geun-hye to meddle in critical state affairs and benefit herself, returned to Seoul, Sunday, but managed to dodge an immediate investigation.

The prosecution decided to summon her 3 p.m. Monday instead of detaining or questioning her upon her 7:30 a.m. arrival at Incheon International Airport from Heathrow Airport in the U.K., giving her more than a day that she could use to remove evidence and coordinate her story with people involved in the scandal.

Her legal representative, Lee Kyung-jae, told reporters at his office in southern Seoul that she returned home and was staying at an unidentified location in Seoul.

The lawyer said he asked the prosecution to delay her summons for a day because she needs time to rest after the long flight.

Prosecutors accepted the request, which has fueled suspicion that they may also be in the hands of her aides in Cheong Wa Dae.

According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, a local daily, officials from the prosecution met her at the airport. It is not clear why the prosecution sent them to meet a suspect it did not plan to apprehend.

However, the prosecution denied that it arranged her return home, saying that she abruptly came to Korea.

The prosecution said it became aware of her return only when she was aboard the plane bound for Incheon International Airport from Heathrow Airport.

Opposition parties, however, decried the prosecution for delaying the questioning, raising doubts about the prosecution's willingness to uncover the truth behind what has become the biggest political scandal under President Park.

Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, has accused Cheong Wa Dae and the prosecution of conspiring to aid Choi in covering up her alleged crimes.

"Prosecutors should stop the show, and arrest her immediately," Choo said. "Woo Byung-woo (senior presidential secretary for civil affairs), who leads all the cover-up efforts, should be dismissed and investigated first."

Ki Dong-min, a spokesman of the party, also urged prosecutors to move fast, saying that "I can't help but suspect that a powerful, invisible figure is helping her."

Referring to her recent interview with the Segye Ilbo, the spokesman also accused her of manipulating the media in order to depict herself as an innocent person who was not aware of the weight of her actions.

The People's Party also expressed concerns over her possible attempt to destroy evidence, pressing the prosecution to detain her immediately.

"Choi and others involved in the scandal could use the day to coordinate their stories before being questioned by the prosecution," said Son Kum-ju, a spokesman of the party.

The left-wing Justice Party criticized the prosecution in the harshest language. Roh Hoe-chan, floor leader of the party, said prosecutors shouldn't have let her go free at the airport. "Where is Choi now? Is she in Cheong Wa Dae, destroying evidence with her accomplices?"

Prosecutors are looking into whether Choi and her secret advisory group meddled in various state affairs, including having access to highly classified information and state secrets. Also, they are investigating the allegations that Choi was behind the establishment and operation of the Mir and K-Sports foundations that she allegedly used like a personal ATM.

The charges could put her behind bars for violating the law governing the security of confidential presidential records, and she could also be prosecuted for embezzlement. And yet many believe that what has been revealed so far might be just the tip of the iceberg.

Her daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, is still abroad. She is also suspected of receiving special favors regarding admissions and grading at Ewha Womans University.

Meanwhile, former chairmen of the K-Sports Foundation, Chung Tong-gu and Jeong Dong-chun, have been questioned along with Jung Hyun-sik, a former secretary general of the foundation.

On Saturday, prosecutors raided the homes of seven people suspected of being involved in the snowballing scandal, including Senior Presidential Secretary for Policy Coordination Ahn Jong-beom and Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Chong.