German prosecution to put Choi Soon-sil’s daughter on wanted list

The German prosecution said Thursday that Germany will cooperate with South Korean investigators in the corruption and influence peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil. The remark came after a South Korean investigation team led by special prosecutor Park Young-soo said it had obtained a warrant to detain Chung Yoo-ra, Choi’s daughter who is believed to be in Germany, and had asked for cooperation from German prosecutors in finding Chung and obtaining evidence.

The prosecution in Hessen, Germany said in an e-mail message to the Dong-A Ilbo on Wednesday that it can put Chung on a wanted list across the country if the South Korean special investigator’s request is delivered. Once put on the wanted list, Chung would find it difficult to hide in Germany.

Regarding the possibility that Chung had already sneaked out of Germany, the German prosecution said it would seek to arrest her by using the judicial cooperation system with other European countries. However, the German prosecution said it had not found where Chung was.

In the meantime, the Korea Daily, a daily newspaper for Korean-Americans, reported Thursday that Chung is staying in the United States, citing a Korean-American as saying that Chung had stayed at a friend’s in Oakland, California for a week from November 29 and planned to stay at a relative’s house in New York. The Korean-American also told the daily that Chung was together with a boy who was believed to be her son and always accompanied by a woman bodyguard.

Jung-Min Dong ditto@donga.com