Choi Seo-won Loses Again in 2nd Trial Over Defamation Suit for 'False Briefing by Special Prosecutor on State Affairs Manipulation'

Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil), a key figure in the Park Geun-hye administration's state corruption scandal, lost again in the second trial of a 200 million won damages lawsuit she filed, claiming she suffered losses due to false briefings by the special prosecutor at the time.

Seoul Central District Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Seoul Central District Court Civil Appeals Division 2-1 (Presiding Judges Choi Bok-gyu, Oh Yeon-jung, Ahn Seung-ho) ruled on the 22nd that Choi lost the damages lawsuit appeal against former special prosecutor Park Young-soo and former special prosecutor spokesperson Lee Kyu-cheol, the same as in the first trial.

The special prosecutor announced at a regular briefing in January 2017 that an additional tablet PC owned by Choi had been secured. They also stated that the tablet PC’s lock pattern was set in an L-shape, identical to that of another phone owned by Choi, declaring it to be her property.

In response, Choi’s side argued that the tablet PC was not hers, claiming the special prosecutor’s announcement was false and that the special prosecutor conducted a fabricated investigation, filing a lawsuit in 2022.

Meanwhile, Choi filed a return lawsuit, stating she would verify herself that the tablet PC was not her property, and the court ruled in her favor. Consequently, the prosecution returned the tablet PC to Choi’s side in January of this year.

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