Government Loses Lawsuit to Recover KRW 39 Million in Medical Expenses From Choi Seo-won

The correctional authorities have lost a lawsuit filed to recover approximately KRW 39 million in hospital expenses paid on behalf of Choi Seo-won, a central figure in the Park Geun-hye administration's state-affairs abuse scandal, after failing to collect the money for over five years.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled against the plaintiff today (October 15) in a reimbursement claim lawsuit filed by the government against Choi.

The court accepted Choi's argument that the statute of limitations for the reimbursement claim had already expired.

The court stated, "It is clear from the period that the reimbursement claim was generated in October 2020 and the five-year statute of limitations has expired."

Additionally, the court found that the payment notice sent to Choi did not follow the relevant procedures and completely lacked the phrase "payment notification."

While incarcerated at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center in July 2019, Choi fell in a bathhouse and subsequently underwent shoulder surgery at Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital from May to July 2020.

As Choi complained of financial difficulties and failed to pay her medical bills, the Seoul Eastern Detention Center paid KRW 39.27 million on her behalf for her external hospital treatment on October 23, 2020.

The Seoul Eastern Detention Center demanded payment of the medical expenses from Choi in October of that same year, but reportedly took no further follow-up procedures for over five years.

It was reported that the correctional authorities only recognized the fact that the medical expenses had been paid on her behalf in November of last year and ordered the Seoul Eastern Detention Center to file a lawsuit.

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.