The legal action filed by the prosecution to recover the unpaid confiscation fees of former President Chun Doo-hwan regarding the transfer of ownership of his residence in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu was dismissed by the court on the 7th.
The Seoul Western District Court's Civil Division 12 (presided over by Director General Kim Jin-young) ruled that in the lawsuit filed by the government against 11 individuals, including Chun's wife Lee Soon-ja, his eldest son Jae-guk, and former secretary Lee Taek-soo, it said, "Debts resulting from criminal case judgments are generally not subject to inheritance. The confiscation debt claim due to Chun Doo-hwan's death has expired." The dismissal indicates the court found that the lawsuit did not meet the necessary criteria.
Former President Chun was sentenced to life imprisonment and a confiscation fee of 220.5 billion won in April 1997 for charges including insurrection and bribery. He was later released under a special pardon but has not paid over 86.7 billion won in confiscation fees, prompting authorities to initiate recovery efforts.
During the confiscation recovery process, the prosecution concluded that the main house in Yeonhui-dong, registered under Lee Soon-ja's name, and the garden owned by Lee Taek-soo were former President Chun's hidden assets and filed a lawsuit in October 2021. However, former President Chun passed away in November of the same year.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that "if the individual who has been tried is deceased, execution cannot proceed without special provisions," deeming the seizure of the main house and garden as inappropriate. However, it stated that if the prosecution proves these to be hidden assets of the former president and changes the ownership back to him, the confiscation ruling can be executed.
Based on the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling, the prosecution claimed that "as the lawsuit was filed before former President Chun's death, a transfer of ownership is feasible." On the other hand, Lee Soon-ja's attorney argued, "There is no legal method to register property in the name of a deceased person. The very essence of the claim is unlawful and should be dismissed."