Choi Tae-min

This is a Korean name; the family name is Choi.
Choi Tae-min
Born (1912-05-05)5 May 1912
So-dong, Sariwon, Hwanghae
Died 1 May 1994(1994-05-01) (aged 81)
Yeoksam-dong, Seoul
Education Chaeryong Potong School
Korean name
Hangul 최태민
Hanja 崔太敏
Revised Romanization Choe Tae-min
McCune–Reischauer Ch'oe T'ae-min
Birth name
Hangul 최도원
Hanja 崔道源
Revised Romanization Choe Do-won
McCune–Reischauer Ch'oe To-wŏn

Choi Tae-min (5 May 1912 – 1 May 1994) was a South Korean pseudo-Christian[1] cult leader. Choi, originally a Buddhist monk, then a convert to Roman Catholicism, was married six times. He was the mentor of the current South Korean president, Park Geun-hye (the daughter of former president Park Chung-hee), until his death in 1994. He allegedly used his relationship with Park to solicit bribes from government officials and businessmen.[2][3] In late 2016, a scandal involving his daughter, Choi Soon-sil, broke out, with allegations that she too has exerted undue influence over President Park.[3][4]

History

Choi Tae-min set up a religious group called Yongsae-gyo (영세교), or “Church of Eternal Life”, and declared himself Maitreya, or a “Future Buddha.”[5] He befriended Park Geun-hye soon after her mother, Yuk Young-soo, was assassinated in 1974. According to a report by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency from the 1970s that was published by a South Korean news magazine in 2007, Choi initially approached Park Geun-hye by telling her that her mother had appeared to him in his dreams, asking him to help her daughter.[6]

Choi was an associate of former-president President Park Chung-hee until the latter's death by assassination in 1979. Kim Jae-gyu, the director of the KCIA who assassinated President Park Chung-hee, told a court that one of his motives was what he called the president’s failure to stop Choi Tae-min's corrupt activities and keep him away from his daughter.[3]

In a newspaper interview in 2007, Park Geun-hye called Choi a patriot and said she was grateful for his counsel and comfort during “difficult times.”

Also in 2007, a diplomatic cable made public through WikiLeaks, the American Embassy in Seoul reported rumors that Mr. Choi, a 'Korean Rasputin', “had complete control over Park’s body and soul during her formative years and that his children accumulated enormous wealth as a result.”[7][8]

Frequently-used names

He used seven different names.[9][3]

References

  1. ↑ "Swirling Scandal Involving Shamanistic Cult Threatens S. Korean President". Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "South Korea's leader acknowledges ties to woman in scandal". Fox News. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Choe, Sang-hun (27 October 2016). "A Presidential Friendship Has Many South Koreans Crying Foul". New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  4. ↑ Kim, Oi-hyun (3 December 2014). "Pres. Park's former aide and his wife may be at the center of ongoing scandal". The Hankyoreh. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  5. ↑ O que está acontecendo na Coreia do Sul: política, seitas e corrupção
  6. ↑ "A Rasputinesque mystery woman and a cultish religion could take down South Korea's president".
  7. ↑ Lim, Min-hyuk (28 October 2016). "Leaked U.S. Embassy Cable Warned of 'Rasputin' Behind Park". The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Stanton, William (20 July 2007). "ROK presidential election: Still the politics of the vortex". WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks cable: 07SEOUL2178_a. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  9. ↑ Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), 1979.
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