'Illegal Receipt of Long-term Care Benefits' Charges: Yoon Seok-yeol's Mother-in-law Acquitted in Second Trial

Choi, the mother-in-law of Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party (right) / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Choi Mo (76), the mother-in-law of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, who was sentenced to prison in the first trial for illegally establishing a nursing hospital and embezzling nursing benefits, was acquitted in the appellate trial.

On the afternoon of the 25th, the Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Yoon Gang-yeol, Park Jaeyoung, Kim Sangcheol) overturned the first trial, which sentenced Choi to three years in prison on charges of fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes and violation of the Medical Service Act, and acquitted her.

The court stated, "It is insufficient to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant substantially conspired in the process of establishing the nursing hospital," and "there is no evidence to recognize that the National Health Insurance Service was deceived."

Earlier, Choi was prosecuted on charges of illegally establishing a nursing hospital in February 2013 despite not being a medical professional and receiving 2.29 billion won in nursing benefits from the National Health Insurance Service until 2015. Choi, who was sentenced to prison and detained in the first trial, was released on bail in September last year during the appellate trial and has been undergoing trial without detention.

In addition to this case, Choi is also facing a separate trial on charges of forging balance certificates to appear as if approximately 34.9 billion won was deposited in a savings bank four times during the land purchase process from April 1 to October 11, 2013. She was sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial and has appealed.

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