"Back Hurts but Told to Take Off Pants"... Choi Seo-won of National Scandal Sues Prison Warden

Choi Seo-won (65, formerly Choi Soon-sil), who is imprisoned for the Park Geun-hye administration's state affairs manipulation scandal. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Choi Seo-won (65, formerly Choi Soon-sil), who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the Park Geun-hye government’s state corruption scandal, has filed a complaint against the warden and staff of Cheongju Women’s Prison where she is serving her sentence.

According to Cheongju Sangdang Police Station on the 12th, Choi recently filed a complaint accusing the prison medical director of sexual assault and abuse of authority, and the prison warden of neglect of duty.

It is reported that Choi claims she was sexually assaulted by the medical director during treatment at the prison, and that the warden was aware of this but neglected to take action.

Choi revealed these facts in a handwritten letter sent to a media outlet on the 10th. In the letter, she stated, "All inmates must submit to his (the prison medical director’s) words and actions in order to receive treatment. He speaks disrespectfully to even elderly inmates, using rude language such as 'Where does it hurt?', 'Sit there,' 'Go over there, take off your clothes, and prepare,' treating inmates in a vulgar manner," and added, "I was so shocked that I reported this to the warden, but there was no improvement at all."

She also said, "When I said my back hurt, he told me to take off my pants and lowered my underwear down to my buttocks for treatment. He treated me with unknown drugs and refused to answer when I asked what they were," and "The prison claims it was not sexual assault but normal medical treatment. However, I have been to many hospitals, and this is the first time I have experienced treatment like this."

In response, the prison reportedly denied the allegations, stating that they only asked her to remove clothing for medical treatment and that Choi’s claims are not true.

The Ministry of Justice also released a statement on the 12th, explaining, "A female staff member was always present during the inmate’s treatment process," and "The treatment area was the inside of the right thigh, so it was unavoidable to partially remove lower garments to perform pain treatment."

The police are currently requesting related documents from the prison in writing and plan to proceed with the investigation of the complainant.