On July 12, Chung Yoo-ra (21), the daughter of Choi Soon-sil (61) appeared as a witness in the trial of Lee Jae-yong (49), vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, and poured out a stream of testimonies that drove Samsung, Choi, and former President Park Geun-hye (65) into a corner. Chung said, "I thought that I owned the horse that Samsung gave me," and insisted, "There's no way Samsung did not know," about the alleged 'horse laundering.' On July 11, Chung's lawyer had submitted a letter of reasons for Chung's refusal to appear in court, but Chung appeared without consulting her lawyers.

The key issue in Lee's trial this day heard by Criminal Department 27 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief judge: Kim Jin-dong) was whether Samsung had turned over the ownership of the horse that the company purchased to Chung and whether they "switched" the horses that they provided. The former would support the bribery charge against Lee and the latter would be an attempt to conceal criminal proceeds.

Chung testified that she thought she owned Salcido, the horse Samsung provided in October 2015. The following January, Chung suggested to her mother, Choi, to purchase Salcido from Samsung, but Choi said to her, "There's no need to. Just think of it as yours. There's no need to pay for it." Chung testified, "I thought everything was settled with Samsung and that I owned the horse." Chung also said that Choi introduced Salcido to her as "a horse she received from Samsung." When the lawyer repeatedly asked her, "Did Choi really say that?" she raised her voice and said, "I'm certain." Chung also testified that in November 2015, Choi said, "If word gets out that Samsung is only supporting you, it can get noisy," and that her mother also told her to change the name of Salcido. Afterwards, Salcido was renamed Salvator.

Chung also said that Samsung funded her when she bought two additional horses at the end of February 2016. When Choi was selecting the horses with Chung in Germany at the time, Choi said, "Samsung funded a Grand Prix-class horse and one of a lower class," according to Chung. In fact, the mother and daughter purchased Vitana V, a Grand Prix-class horse and Rausing 1233, a horse of a lower grade. Chung said, "By this time, I thought I had secured Samsung's funding."

Last September, when allegations of Samsung's special equestrian favors for Chung stirred controversy in Korea, Choi switched Salvator and Vitana V with Vladimir and Stasha respectively. At the time, Choi explained to Chung, "I am switching the horses because Samsung said, 'Switch the horses, since it's getting noisy'." However, Samsung denied the allegations of 'horse laundering' and said, "Choi switched the horses on her own, so Samsung was not aware of it. We never approved of the switch."

However, Chung presented specific circumstances that showed that there was Samsung's approval. Chung said, "On June 26, I called Coach Kamplade in Germany and asked, 'Did Mom switch the horses on her own?' and he answered, 'The day before they switched the horses, Choi met with Park Sang-jin, the president of Samsung Electronics and Hwang Sung-soo, a senior executive at the company'." Chung said, "If you want, I can submit a recording."
Lee Jae-yong's attorney refuted that the meaning of ownership was different in the equestrian world. When Lee's lawyer asked, "When we say, "We will purchase a horse," that doesn't mean that we will give ownership of the horse to the athlete, does it?" Chung answered, "No."
Chung said, "Many people tried to talk me out of coming, but I thought that I should. If the prosecutor requested it (my appearing as a witness) and the judge accepted the request, then I think it is right that I appear," and explained why she appeared in court this day. Chung's attorney, Lee Kyung-jae said, "Chung never consulted any of her lawyers about her appearance in the courtroom this day," and argued that the special prosecutor forced her to attend the trial. The special prosecutor retorted, "I made a reasonable effort, such as informing Chung that a witness had an obligation to attend the trial. Chung made a voluntary judgment and appeared in court."