South Korea sues Choi Seo-won over unpaid medical expenses

The South Korean government is engaged in a legal dispute with Choi Seo-won, a key figure in the state affairs manipulation scandal, regarding approximately 39.27 million won in unpaid medical expenses. The Seoul Dongbu Detention Center paid these costs on October 23, 2020, after Choi underwent shoulder surgery following a fall in a detention center bathhouse in 2019.

The central legal conflict concerns the statute of limitations. Under the National Finance Act, government monetary claims expire if not exercised within five years. Choi’s legal team argues that because the lawsuit was filed more than five years after the initial payment, the claim has expired. Conversely, the state contends that a payment notice sent to Choi on October 28, 2020, interrupted the statute of limitations, meaning the five-year period should only begin counting from late November 2020.

There is also a disagreement regarding responsibility for the costs. Choi maintains that the state is obligated to provide medical care under inmate management guidelines, while the government asserts that Choi had expressed an intent to pay for the treatment privately.