Yoon’s mother-in-law sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial

The mother-in-law of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol who announced to run for presidency, was sentenced to three years of imprisonment and put under court custody in the first trial on Friday on charges of fraud by the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes and violation of the medical service law.

The criminal case plea department 13 of the Uijeongbu District Court ruled that Ms. Choi violated the medical service law by effectively engaging in the foundation and operation of a nursing hospital in Paju, Gyeonggi Province for three years from 2013 without being qualified to open a medical institution. She was also found guilty for fraudulently receiving medical care benefits of 2.29 billion won in total from February 2013 to February 2015 even though the institution is not a medical institution by law.

Choi’s three business partners were proven guilty after police investigation in 2015, but she was not investigated because she submitted a liability exemption note. “I believe no one should be excepted from application of law,” said Yoon after the sentence. “[Yoon had said] she didn’t receive a penny. He should reflect deeply on that his family member siphoned off our citizens’ money,” said Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. “Citizens will judge this matter because guilt by association is not applied in Korea,” said Lee Jun-seok, head of the main opposition People Power Party.


Kwan-Seok Jang jks@donga.com