(December 28, 2023) The so-called "Choi Soon-sil tablet," which was presented by JTBC in late 2016 as evidence of the Park Geun-hye administration's "manipulation of state affairs," which led to her impeachment, has finally been returned to the hands of its owner, Choi Seo-won (renamed Choi Soon-sil). The authenticity of the tablet will now be investigated.
On the 28th, the Third Civil Division of the Supreme Court (Chief Justice Lee Heung-koo presiding) dismissed the appeal of the state (legally represented by Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon) as an inadmissible appeal in favor of Ms. Choi in the tablet-return lawsuit filed by Ms. Choi. The decision comes almost two years after the lawsuit was initially filed.
In August of this year, after winning the appeal, Choi said, "It must be revealed how so many state secrets were inserted into a tablet that does not even have document reader capabilities. We also have to investigate who tampered with it."
"I have been imprisoned for eight years and my illness is deepening due to my prolonged imprisonment, but I still want to fight it and reveal the truth," she added.
As such, Mr. Choi has repeatedly stated that she will conduct a forensic examination of the tablet upon its return, as early as the filing of the lawsuit. If a forensic examination is carried out soon, it is expected that the political situation in the first half of next year, ahead of the general election in April 2024, could dramatically shift depending on the outcome.
