Chung Yoo-ra appeals for donations, says mother living in diapers with lower-body paralysis

Chung Yoo-ra, daughter of Choi Seo-won (formerly known as Choi Soon-sil), has shared a handwritten letter from her mother and appealed for financial help, saying the family risks being forced out of the hospital over unpaid medical bills. She also posted her son's bank account number to solicit donations.

On Monday, Chung wrote on her Facebook page that her mother was likely to soon receive a disability rating due to lower-body paralysis and was living in diapers with a urinary catheter because she could not manage bodily functions on her own.

She added that 20 million won in medical bills remained unpaid, warning that if the fees were not settled, her mother would be returned to prison in a state of delirium and would not survive. She urged supporters to contribute to the costs.

Chung also released a letter written by Choi herself, saying that everyone involved in the state affairs manipulation scandal had been pardoned while her 71-year-old mother remained imprisoned for a decade. She again called on the public to help so that Choi could receive treatment and be with her family.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court finalized Choi's sentence in June 2020 on charges including abuse of authority, bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, and obstruction of business. She was sentenced to 18 years in prison, a fine of 20 billion won ($15 million) and a surcharge of about 6.3 billion won, and has now been serving her sentence for 10 years.