Supreme Court: "Seizure of Main Building of Jeon Du-hwan's Yeonhui-dong Residence Is Unjust"

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The Supreme Court has made a final ruling that seizing the main house of the Seoul Yeonhui-dong residence, which was auctioned off due to former President Jeon Du-hwan's failure to pay the confiscation money, is unjust.

On the 12th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Noh Jeong-hee) announced that it upheld the lower court's decision, which deemed the prosecution's confiscation illegal, in the retrial appeal filed by former President Jeon against the prosecution's confiscation order.

In 2018, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office auctioned off the Yeonhui-dong residence after former President Jeon failed to pay the confiscation amount of 220.5 billion won confirmed for charges including rebellion and bribery. In response, former President Jeon, his wife Lee Soon-ja, and daughter-in-law Lee Yun-hye filed objections against the seizure of some real estate including the main house and garden of the Yeonhui-dong residence, the annex, the Itaewon villa, and land in Osan City, Gyeonggi Province.

In November last year, the court accepted the objection regarding the main house and garden, stating that the property was acquired before former President Jeon's inauguration and was therefore difficult to consider as illegal property. At that time, the court explained, "The land of the main house was acquired by his wife Lee Soon-ja in October 1969, before Jeon's presidential inauguration," and "Since it was not acquired with bribes received during Jeon's presidency, it cannot be regarded as illegal property under the Public Officials Crime Confiscation Act." However, the annex was recognized as illegal property.

In response, the prosecution filed an immediate appeal against the ruling on the Yeonhui-dong main house. Former President Jeon's side also filed an immediate appeal requesting a reconsideration regarding the Yeonhui-dong annex. The Supreme Court has not yet made a ruling on the Yeonhui-dong annex.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.