1. Choi Soon-sil was born on June 23,1956, as the fifth daughter in her family to Lim Seon-yi and Choi Tae-min, a former Buddhist monk and the leader of The Church of Eternal Life, a cult that combined various elements of Buddhism, Christianity, and traditional Korean Shamanism.
Some media has reported that Choi Soon-sil Soon-il acted as a shaman for the sect, although the accuracy of this label, as well as the legitimacy of her practice has been questioned by traditional shamans.
Choi Soon-sil is alleged to have founded a clique named the "Eight Fairies" associated with the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.
Choi Soon-sil claimed to have entered Dankook University in 1975.
Choi Soon-sil was married to Kim Young-ho from 1982 to 1986 and they had a son in 1983.
Choi Soon-sil was then married to Chung Yoon-hoi from 1995 to 2014, and they had a daughter in 1996, dressage athlete Chung Yoo-ra.
Later, Choi Soon-sil bought back the joint shares of her partner and became the sole owner of the property.
From 1992 to 1996, Choi Soon-sil established and operated Jubel GmbH jointly with Chung Yoon-hoi, who she would marry during this period.
In July 2003, Choi Soon-sil invested in the construction of a building with 7 floors above ground and 2 floors underground, which was later referred to as "M building".
In February 2008, Choi Soon-sil sold the kindergarten building to a savings bank.
In 1989, Choi Soon-sil translated a child-care instruction book entitled How To Hold Your Children's Habit Upright with Kim Kwang-Ung.
At the outbreak of the 2016 political scandal, Choi Soon-sil operated a cafe and an Italian restaurant called "Testa Rossa" in Nonhyeon-dong, located in Gangnam, Seoul.
An insider gave testimony that stated Choi Soon-sil had been meeting with politicians, influential businessmen, and business tycoons on the 2nd and 3rd floors of this building.
In 2016, Choi Soon-sil was involved in a scandal that alleged that she was responsible for masterminding governmental policy and decision-making during Park's administration.
Choi Soon-sil was alleged to have used a South Korean overseas development assistance project for improper personal benefits.
In June 2020, while still incarcarated, Choi Soon-sil, now going by Choi Soon-sil Seo-won, published a personal memoir titled "Who Am I", in which she denied having influenced Park in any way, claiming that she only provided emotional support as an "invisible person" during her presidency, and that her conviction was part of a government plot against her.