Choi Soon-sil in court. Yonhap News

Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil), a key figure in the state-sponsored corruption scandal, has partially won a retrial for damages against former Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Min-seok.

The Civil Appellate Division 3-2 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judges Huh Il-seung, Song Seung-woo, and Lee Jong-chae) ruled on the 21st that "the defendant shall compensate the plaintiff with 20 million won" in the damages lawsuit filed by Choi against Ahn.

The court pointed out, "The defendant contributed to the escalating criticism against the plaintiff by citing rumors circulating or statements made by third parties without clearly stating the grounds, as if they were directly investigated."

It added, "Even now, with the investigations into the plaintiff concluded, the connection between the content of the statements and the plaintiff has not been clarified."

Previously, Choi filed a lawsuit seeking 100 million won in damages, claiming she suffered harm due to Ahn spreading false information about her hidden assets and other issues during the state-sponsored corruption scandal that emerged in 2016-2017.

The first trial court ruled in favor of the plaintiff without a trial because Ahn's side did not respond, but the second trial court ruled against the plaintiff, stating that the allegations raised by Ahn had public interest.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court remanded the case, finding that Ahn's statements, such as "Money from Company A deposited into Choi's secret Swiss account is related to Choi" and "Choi met with the chairman of a US defense contractor and profited," were illegal.

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