Choi Soon Sil's daughter to be extradited from Denmark to face prosecution in South Korea
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Chung Yoo Ra (second from right) and her teammates receiving gold medals at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, in 2014.
PHOTO: FEDERATION EQUESTRE INTERNATIONALE
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Choi is accused of colluding with Park to pressure large South Korean businesses to contribute to non-profit foundations. Both Choi and Park have denied wrongdoing.
Chung has been accused of criminal interference related to her academic record.
South Korean authorities have also been investigating whether Samsung Electronics channelled money to a German firm controlled by Choi to sponsor Chung's equestrian career in return for favours from Choi and Park.
Chung's lawyer told Reuters that she will challenge the public prosecutor's decision to extradite her all the way through the courts if necessary.
"We had hoped for a different outcome, but on the other hand, it was to be expected. Now we will bring it to the courts and fight it there," lawyer Peter Martin Blinkenberg told Reuters.
Blinkenberg said earlier this week that Chung was ready to claim political asylum in Denmark as she fears for her safety if she's forced to return home. Chung was arrested by Danish police in northern Denmark on Jan 1.
Deputy Director Mohammad Ahsan from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said in a news release that the South Korean authorities had answered questions from the Danish prosecutor to help them decide on the extradition request.
"I know that the case has been subject to great attention in South Korea. Therefore, I am pleased that there has been a prevalent understanding of the fact that the case has taken the necessary time, for it to be handled both thoroughly and in accordance with our legislation," Ahsan said.
