South Korea Nullifies Passport of Daughter of Impeached President's Friend

TOKYO (Sputnik) — According to Yonhap news agency, Chung Yoo-ra, 21, who was arrested in Denmark on January 2 on charges of illegal stay, has ignored the requests of Seoul authorities to return to the country. The passport nullification was likely to add extra pressure on Chung to return to Korea, the media explained.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry planned to notify local Danish authorities and Interpol of the decision to nullify the passport and thus make Chung’s papers invalid immediately, the agency wrote, adding that the passport was nullified starting from Tuesday.

The South Korean authorities have been seeking Chung's arrest for her alleged involvement in the corruption scandal. She is suspected of receiving undue favors from Seoul-based Ewha Womans University due to her mother's close ties to the president.

Political scandal around the South Korean president broke out in late October 2016, when media reported that President Park allowed Choi, her friend and "shadow adviser," who held no official post, to edit her speeches thus letting her influence the country's policy. Moreover, Choi is accused of pressuring South Korean big corporations and extorting money from them for her non-commercial funds.

The South Korean parliament decided to impeach the president on December 9. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn has become the acting president.

The Constitutional Court has six months to decide upon the validity of the parliament's impeachment of Park. If the impeachment is recognized as valid, presidential elections should be called within two months.