Media Say Ex-Olympics Chief Fired for Disobedience

(ATR) Organizers of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games say they will not comment on reports in the Korean media that former president Yang Ho Cho was forced out of office when he refused to pay a $1 million shakedown in May.

The allegation is perhaps the most explosive so far involving the 2018 Olympics that has arisen from an influence peddling imbroglio that has gripped the country.

The protagonist is Soon Sil Choi, 60, who has been friend and confidant of South Korean President Geung Hye Park for most of their adult lives. Choi is in police custody as prosecutors prepare charges against her. She is suspected of using her close ties to Park to enrich her private foundations and influence government decisions in favor of businesses that paid for her back-room dealings.

Anna Jihyun You, foreign media spokeswoman for PyeongChang 2018, tells Around the Rings that the committee will not comment on the reports that Choi forced Cho from the POCOG presidency. The media reports say that Cho refused to make a $1 million donation to one of the two foundations founded by the Choi family. After refusing to pay, Cho was fired for "disobedience" May 2 by the sports minister, according to one newspaper report today. That minister was one of a half dozen ministers fired Sunday by Park as she tries to keep the government from collapsing.

Stories in the Korean press today say that Kim and Choi tried to pressure PyeongChang 2018 to use the Swiss firm Nuessli to design and build the temporary stadium for opening and closing ceremonies. Choi is said to have been under contract with Nuessli, though this has not been confirmed.

PyeongChang 2018’s You says Nuessli did not get the job.

"Allsuch projects are handled through open tender. In this case, there were no bidders due to low budget, and finally a Korean firm, Daelim, has been contracted to construct the venue. No international firms are involved," she says.

You says that Nuessli has expressed an interest in the Olympic overlay for venues as reported in the press. But You says the Swiss firm will get no special treatment.

"All such projects are handled through open tender via the government’s Public Procurement Service. POCOG’s constructionprojects cannot be influenced in any way by outside factors. It is not true that bidding rules were adjusted to benefit any party. The bidding process for Grand Stand Overlay Project is open, and Nussli did attend the business information session but has not yet submitted its bid," she says.

Park has suffered a precipitous fall in popularity as details of her links to Choi have emerged, aggravating an already shaky situation for her presidency. Her term ends in February 2018, the month of the first Winter Olympics to be held in South Korea. Park apologized to the nation in a live TV address last week for the controversy. In an effort to stem the damage, Park has jettisoned some ministers and named a new prime minister.

The controversy has gripped Korea, leading to protests in Seoul, some extreme. One man tried to drive a tractor into the police station where Choi is being held, reportedly explaining that he wanted to help her die. She lost a shoe in the media horde that swarmed over her as she arrived at the police station Monday.

The black Prada slip-on left behind was the news image of the day and led to a ramping-up of the ridicule, with media calling Choi "Soon-derella".

Written by Ed Hula.

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