'Fraudulent Receipt of Long-term Care Benefits' Yoon Seok-yeol's Mother-in-law Appeal Trial Verdict Today

Yoon Seok-yeol's mother-in-law, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, who is accused of illegally establishing a nursing home, is attending a trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 26th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The appellate court ruling on the mother-in-law of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, will be delivered on the 25th. She is accused of illegally establishing a nursing hospital and embezzling nursing care benefits.

The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 5 (Presiding Judge Yoon Kang-yeol) will hold a sentencing hearing at 2:30 p.m. on the same day for Choi, the mother-in-law of candidate Yoon, who was indicted on charges including fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. Previously, the prosecution requested the court to maintain the first trial sentence of three years in prison during the closing arguments. On the other hand, Choi's side has consistently claimed innocence.

Choi was indicted on charges of illegally opening a nursing hospital in February 2013 despite not being a medical professional and receiving 2.29 billion won in nursing care benefits from the National Health Insurance Service until 2015. Choi was sentenced to imprisonment and detained in the first trial but was released on bail in September last year while the appeal trial was ongoing, and has been undergoing trial without detention.

In addition to this case, Choi is also facing a separate trial for allegedly forging balance certificates four times to make it appear that approximately 34.9 billion won was deposited in a savings bank 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.