On the morning of the 13th, Judge Seong Chang-ho is leaving the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, after attending a trial related to the abuse of judicial administrative power. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] "Judge Seong Chang-ho likely did not know that Judge Shin Gwang-ryeol reported to former Deputy Chief of the Court Administration Office Im Jong-heon. It is difficult to acknowledge prior conspiracy in this case."
On the morning of the 13th, in a courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court, the presiding judge (Criminal Division 23, Yoo Young-geun) read the judgment on the charges. Chief Judge Seong Chang-ho stood in the defendant's seat, looking at the presiding judge. Tension was evident on his face. The court acquitted Chief Judge Seong that day. Upon hearing the not guilty verdict, Chief Judge Seong, who had been listening with a stern expression, finally smiled faintly and shook hands with his lawyer. After leaving the courtroom, his lawyer said, "We are grateful to the court for its careful and wise judgment."
The Court: "Difficult to Recognize Conspiracy"
Chief Judge Seong was indicted on charges of passing information related to the arrest warrant of former Nature Republic CEO Jung Woon-ho to Senior Criminal Judge Shin Gwang-ryeol while serving as the warrant judge at the Central District Court in 2016. The prosecution viewed that, under the direction of the Court Administration Office, Chief Judge Seong obtained and leaked investigation secrets to prevent the expansion of investigations into the judiciary.
The court did not accept these prosecution claims. It stated, "It is difficult to acknowledge that within the Court Administration Office, measures were prepared and executed to pressure the prosecution with the purpose of preventing the expansion of the investigation." Regarding the conspiracy between Senior Judge Shin and Chief Judge Seong, the court judged, "Although there is a circumstance where Chief Judge Seong responded to a detailed report request from Senior Judge Shin, it cannot be recognized as a conspiracy to leak information obtained through warrant trials."
Judge Seong Chang-ho's 'Retaliatory Prosecution' Controversy Continues
Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, who was sentenced to prison in the first trial on charges of illegal public opinion manipulation [Image source=Yonhap News]
Chief Judge Seong was the presiding judge in the first trial of Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do. He sentenced Governor Kim, who was indicted for conspiring with the Druking group to manipulate presidential election public opinion, to two years in prison and ordered his immediate detention. This happened in January last year. About a month after that, Chief Judge Seong was suddenly summoned by the prosecution as a suspect and then indicted on allegations of abuse of judicial administrative power. The indictment was related to his time as a warrant judge in 2016.
At that time, Chief Judge Seong claimed it was a 'retaliatory prosecution' related to the Kim Kyung-soo ruling. After the Kim ruling, he was under attack from the ruling party due to his connections with former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae. Even within the legal community, there were remarks that the indictment of Chief Judge Seong was a form of retaliation for the Kim ruling.
On this day, Chief Judge Seong's lawyer refrained from commenting, saying, "The case has not yet been finalized." He implied that he would speak once the trial concludes and the verdict is final. He added, "Since the prosecution is expected to appeal, I believe it is appropriate to speak after everything is concluded and after he is free."
Shin Gwang-ryeol and Jo Ui-yeon Also Acquitted... Impact on Yang Sung-tae Trial
On the morning of the 13th, Judge Shin Gwang-ryeol is leaving the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, after attending a trial related to the abuse of judicial administrative power. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Senior Judge Shin and Chief Judge Jo Ui-yeon, who were indicted alongside Chief Judge Seong, were also acquitted that day. The court did not recognize any conspiracy among them. Regardless of conspiracy, the court judged that Senior Judge Shin's leaking of some information to the Court Administration Office was not a crime. The leaked investigation information did not have the value of a 'public official secret' that should be protected, and therefore it could not be seen as obstructing the state's criminal investigation or warrant trial functions.
These charges are also included in the indictments against former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae, former Court Administration Office Chief Ko Young-han, and former Deputy Chief Im Jong-heon. Since the court denied the conspiracy within the judiciary as a whole, this is expected to influence the conclusions of the cases involving former Chief Justice Yang and others.
Meanwhile, this is the second time a first trial verdict has been delivered in cases related to the judicial scandal. Previously, lawyer Yoo Hae-yong (former Supreme Court Senior Research Judge) was indicted for leaking the progress of a specific trial but was acquitted in the first trial. This day marked the first time a verdict was delivered for a sitting judge in cases related to this scandal.
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