Daegu District Court Sentences Former Pohang City Official to 1 Year Probation for Golf Club Membership Bribery Charges

Construction Contractor Accused of Bribery Sentenced to 4 Years Imprisonment with 1 Year Probation

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] A former Pohang City Hall executive official who received bribes from a construction contractor related to sewer pipe construction was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

The Daegu District Court Pohang Branch Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Shin Jin-woo) announced on the 17th that former public official A, who was indicted on bribery charges, was sentenced to 6 months in prison with a 2-year suspension, fined 4 million won, and ordered to pay a fine of 2.06 million won. Construction contractor B, who was accused of giving bribes to A, was sentenced to 4 months in prison with a 1-year suspension.

A was indicted on charges of receiving economic benefits worth approximately 2.06 million won by booking golf courses with construction company memberships or transferring membership reservations to others a total of eight times while working as the head of the Construction Department at Pohang City Hall in 2018.

Construction contractor B was found to have given bribes to facilitate the management and supervision of the construction work as the contractor for the Pohang City sewer pipe maintenance lease-type private investment project.

The court explained the sentencing rationale, stating, "Monetary benefits were provided in a relationship directly related to the performance of official duties, and A actively and repeatedly demanded monetary benefits over a considerable period, making the crime serious," while also considering "the fact that there was no evidence of specific requests or provision of convenience."