Choi Tae-min
| Choi Tae-min | |
|---|---|
| Born |
5 May 1912 So-dong, Sariwon, Hwanghae |
| Died | 1 May 1994 (aged 81) Yeoksam-dong, Seoul |
| Education | Chaeryong Potong School |
| Spouse(s) | Lim Seon-yi |
| Children | Choi Soon-sil |
| Relatives | Chung Yoo-ra (granddaughter) |
| 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 Christiancult leader. Choi, originally a Buddhist monk, then a convert to Roman Catholicism, was married six times. He was the mentor of the impeached 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. 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.
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.” 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.
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.
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 , 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.”
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