"My Life Was Ruined by Lies from Democratic Party Lawmakers"
As a court ruling ordered former Democratic Party lawmaker An Minseok to pay 20 million won in damages to Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil), Choi's daughter Jung Yura expressed her anger, saying, "Our family's life was destroyed by a baseless state corruption frame."
On the 21st, Jung wrote on her social media, "My mother and I cried so much when we saw the result regarding An Minseok. It took 10 years to receive this outcome, and I can't even begin to describe how much money and how many tears we poured into this," she began. She continued, "I welcome the court's rightful decision. All lawmakers who lied about us during the state corruption scandal era should be prepared. As we proceed with retrials, we will take action against all of them," she warned.
In another post earlier on the same day, Jung said, "Because of the lies told by Democratic Party lawmakers, my life, my mother's life, and my child's life were shattered." She added, "Far from feeling relieved by the verdict, I feel frustrated. I know that even a retrial is a luxury, but I can't live like this. I will do my best to ensure that this is not the end, but the beginning of a counterattack."
Choi Partially Wins Damages Lawsuit Against Former Lawmaker An
Meanwhile, Choi, a key figure in the state corruption scandal, partially won her damages claim against former lawmaker An in a retrial on appeal.
The Civil Appellate Division 3-2 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judges Heo Ilsung, Song Seungwoo, and Lee Jongchae) ruled on the 21st that "the defendant must pay the plaintiff 20 million won in damages" in the lawsuit filed by Choi against former lawmaker An. The court pointed out, "The defendant cited rumors and third-party statements without clearly providing evidence, and spoke as if he had investigated directly, thereby contributing to the escalation of criticism against the plaintiff." The court added, "Even now, after all investigations into the plaintiff have concluded, no connection between the statements and the plaintiff has been established."
Former Democratic Party lawmaker An Minseok speaking at the National Assembly plenary session on education, society, and culture held in September 2023. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Previously, during the 2016-2017 state corruption scandal, Choi filed a lawsuit seeking 100 million won in damages, claiming that former lawmaker An spread false information by raising issues such as her alleged hidden assets. The first trial court ruled in favor of the plaintiff without a hearing, as An's side did not respond to the lawsuit. However, the appellate court ruled against Choi, recognizing public interest in the suspicions raised by An. Later, the Supreme Court found that statements such as "money from Company A deposited into a Swiss secret account is related to Choi" and "Choi met with the head of a U.S. defense company to gain benefits" were illegal, and sent the case back for retrial.
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