Choi Seo-won Sparks Controversy by Soliciting Donations via Grandchild's Account After Expressing Regret Over Meeting Former President Park

Choi Seo-won, a key figure in the influence-peddling scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye, is facing backlash after releasing a handwritten letter that includes her grandchild's bank account number to solicit financial support.

Choi, who changed her name from Choi Soon-sil, posted a photo of her handwritten letter and a message through her daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, yesterday, July 9.

Referring to the former president, Choi wrote, "I wanted to see her before I die to say I am sorry and ask for her forgiveness, but as I have grown old and ill, I do not think I will be able to see her again," adding, "I always miss her and worry about her."

In the letter, she also addressed her recent remarks in a media interview where she stated that she regretted meeting the former president.

Previously, in an interview with a media outlet on July 7, Choi had said, "Because the former president did not give me a chance to explain myself, I became a servant overnight," and added, "If I could go back to my college days when I first met her, I wish I had never met her."

Choi also lamented, "It is not the Joseon Dynasty, yet even my grandchildren are suffering," but apologized for causing concern to the former president with those interview remarks.

"I have become someone who regrets being by her side unintentionally, but the countless complaints and requests for retrials were solely for the sake of the president who was the only one to open her heart to me," Choi explained.

Regarding the reason for the interview, she stated, "I was desperate out of fear that I might be kicked out of the hospital due to medical expenses."

Choi is currently hospitalized after receiving a suspension of her prison sentence for treatment of an infection at the site of her spinal fracture surgery.

At the end of the letter, Choi included a bank account number under her grandchild's name and requested, "Please show your kindness so that I do not place another burden of medical expenses on my daughter."

Essentially asking for donations to cover her hospital bills, the letter drew reactions from netizens such as, "It is shameless to keep asking for money," and "It is too much to use a grandchild's account."

Choi was sentenced to 18 years in prison in June 2020 for charges including abuse of power and bribery, and had been serving her sentence at Cheongju Correctional Institution.

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.