[24] In 2006, Park Geun-hye was attacked by a person with a razor while attending the election campaign of Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon as the leader of Grand National Party.

[25] At the outbreak of the 2016 political scandal, Choi operated a café and an Italian restaurant called "Testa Rossa" in Nonhyeon-dong, located in Gangnam, Seoul.

[27][28][29][30][31][32][33] After these allegations arose, prosecutors ordered raids on offices and homes linked to Choi, where further evidence to support the claims were found.

[34][35] It was also alleged that Choi ordered Korean prosecutors to indict Japanese journalist Tatsuya Kato, Seoul Bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun, on defamation charges after he reported that President Park and Chung Yoon-hoi had a secret seven-hour meeting with Choi after the sinking of MV Sewol during an extended period after the sinking in which President Park could not be contacted.

[36] Choi was also alleged to have used a South Korean overseas development assistance project (a convention center in Myanmar) for improper personal benefits.

[38][39] On November 20, Choi Soon-sil was officially charged by the prosecutors for intervening in state affairs and using her influence to force chaebols to donate tens of millions of dollars to foundations and businesses she controlled.

[40][41] On 23 June 2017, the Seoul Central District Court found Choi guilty of charges of obstruction of duty by using her presidential ties to get her daughter admitted to Ewha Womans University and receive good grades, and sentenced her to three years of imprisonment.

[42] On 13 February 2018, the Seoul Central District Court found Choi guilty of charges of abuse of power, bribery, and interfering in government business, which extended her prison sentence by 20 years and ordered her to pay a fine of ₩18 billion (US$16.6 million).