Yoon's mother-in-law to pay 2.73 billion won fine after top court declines appeal

President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law Choi Eun-soon is on the hook for a hefty fine after the Supreme Court recently declined to hear her appeal against a penalty for violating a law that governs real estate transactions.

President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law Choi Eun-soon, center, is released from the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center in May. [NEWS1]

President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law Choi Eun-soon is on the hook for a hefty fine after the Supreme Court recently declined to hear her appeal against a penalty for violating a law that governs real estate transactions.

According to judicial sources cited by the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday, the Supreme Court decided last month to dismiss an appeal brought by Choi in her lawsuit against the Jungwon District Office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, which had ordered her to pay a fine of 2.73 billion won ($1.95 million) for violating the Act on the Registration of Real Estate Under Actual Titleholder’s Name when she purchased land in the city in 2013.

The law requires that land and building deeds bear the names of their intended owners. The law also prohibits buyers of real estate from listing the names of their dependents, acquaintances or other people on the deeds.

The court’s dismissal of Choi’s appeal means she must pay the fine levied by the Jungwon District Office in June 2020 against her and her unidentified partner for purchasing 553,231 square meters of land in Dochon-dong under the joint title of her partner’s son-in-law and an unnamed company.

Choi attempted to have the fine overturned by bringing a lawsuit against the Jungwon District Office. She claimed that the land in question belonged to the person named in the deed, but her argument was rejected by both the trial and appellate courts.

The Supreme Court last year also upheld a one-year prison sentence handed down to the 77-year-old Choi after finding her guilty of forging her bank statement to make it appear as if she had 34.9 billion won in her account.

The forged balance sheet was previously submitted to a court during a legal battle over the real estate purchase.

Choi was released on parole in May after serving just under a total of 300 days in prison.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]