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Choi Eun-sun, the mother-in-law of President Yoon Suk-yeol, enters the Uijeongbu District Court on July 21. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk-yeol’s mother-in-law was sentenced to a year in prison on Friday after an appellate court upheld the ruling of a lower court on charges of forging bank balance records used in a real estate deal. The court detained her immediately following the verdict.

Choi Eun-sun, 76, vehemently protested what she deemed an unjust sentence before collapsing in the courtroom. She was escorted out by bailiffs. 

In the final hearing of the trial, the Uijeongbu District Court declared there to be “no reason to accept the defendant’s appeal.”

“The defendant was given sufficient opportunity to defend herself, and considering the gravity of her crimes and the risk of her flight, the defendant is sentenced to immediate detention,” the court concluded.

Regarding Choi’s submission of falsified documents, the court announced, “The court acknowledges that the defendant knowingly submitted falsified bank balance records during a civil suit, and worked with an accomplice to do so.”

Regarding Choi’s violation of the Act on the Registration of Real Estate under Actual Titleholder’s Name, the court declared, “The court acknowledges charges that to profit from the resale of property, the defendant registered real estate under third parties.”

While Choi’s attorney asserted that the court’s sentence was too severe, the court declared, “The defendant moved to secure enormous profits, exploiting related individuals and companies according to her will. The defendant’s single-minded pursuit of her own interests raises concerns that the law, institutions, and people were no more than a means to an end.”

When the judge sentenced her to immediate detention, Choi replied, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. You’re sending me to jail?”

“Your Honor, this is truly unfair,” she continued, crying out, “I never set out to gain profit with ill intention.”

Becoming hysterical, Choi vowed, “Before God almighty, I shall poison myself and die right here.”

Choi was originally indicted for falsifying bank balance records to state that she had 34.9 billion won (US$27.1 million) in deposits during the process of purchasing land in the Dochon neighborhood of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, from April 1 to Oct. 11, 2013. The falsification occurred on four separate occasions. Choi is also accused of working with an accomplice, simply identified by the surname Ahn, to file a lawsuit regarding the return of a down payment on land in Dochon on Aug. 7, 2013. In filing this suit, Choi allegedly falsified bank statements saying that she had around 10 billion won (US$7.8 million) and submitted these statements to the court.

Additionally, Choi is accused of purchasing real estate in Dochon in October 2013, and transferring ownership to third parties, registering half of it under a company name and half of it under the name of Ahn’s son-in-law. Acquiring property and registering it under a third party constitutes a violation of the Act on Registration of Real Estate under Actual Titleholder’s Name. The court sentenced Choi to a year in prison during her first trial in December 2022.

Democratic Party spokesperson Park Sung-joon referred to the sentence as “divine justice,” adding, “There is a lot of public suspicion regarding first lady Kim Keon-hee and her family, including accusations that she partook in market manipulation. Yet both the presidential office and the People Power Party have remained silent on this issue.”

Choi was accused of committing fraud and violating the Medical Service Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, Etc. of Specific Economic Crimes in July 2021, and was sentenced to three years in the first trial. However, she was acquitted of the charges during an appeal in December 2022.

By Kim Gi-seong, South Gyeonggi correspondent

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