'KT Daughter Favoritism Allegation' Rep. Kim Sung-tae of the Korean Party Acquitted in First Trial

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Kim Sung-tae (61), a member of the Liberty Korea Party who was prosecuted on charges of receiving bribes from KT in exchange for the "illegal hiring of his daughter," was acquitted in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 12 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Shin Hyuk-jae) delivered this verdict at 10 a.m. on the 17th during the sentencing hearing on Kim's bribery charges. Lee Seok-chae (75, detained), former KT chairman accused of giving bribes to Kim, was also acquitted.

The court stated the sentencing rationale, saying, "It is difficult to acknowledge the credibility of the testimony of Seo Yoo-yeol, a key witness and former KT chairman," and "The gist of the indictment is that the defendant Kim Sung-tae received employment opportunities for his daughter as a bribe from Lee Seok-chae, but it cannot be said that reasonable doubt about this has been eliminated beyond question."

Kim, who was a member of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee in 2012, was indicted without detention in July last year on charges of bribery for having arranged for Lee, then chairman of KT, to be exempted from being summoned as a witness during the National Assembly audit and, in return, having his daughter hired as a regular employee through KT's open recruitment that year. The prosecution pointed to Lee as the bribe giver, believing he gave the final order for the illegal hiring of Kim's daughter.

At the sentencing hearing held on December 20 last year, the prosecution argued, "This is not a simple one-time bribe but a very cunning crime committed by maintaining the relationship continuously using recruitment as bait," and requested a prison sentence of four years for Kim and two years for Lee.

In response, Kim denied the charges, stating, "I never interfered with Lee's summons to the National Assembly audit," and regarding his daughter's hiring, he claimed that KT's management made arbitrary and discretionary decisions.

Lee also argued that the request for his attendance at the audit was nothing unusual at the time and that there was no reason to give special treatment to the lawmaker who helped him avoid it.