Prosecution Seeks 2-Year Prison Sentence Again for Im Seong-geun on 'Trial Interference' Charges in Appeal (Update)

Former Chief Judge Lim Seong-geun [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The prosecution has once again sought a prison sentence for former Chief Judge Im Seong-geun, who was acquitted in the first trial on charges of abusing judicial administrative authority to interfere in frontline trials.

On the afternoon of the 21st, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judges Park Yeon-wook, Kim Gyudong, Lee Hee-jun) held the appellate trial sentencing hearing for former Chief Judge Im, where the prosecution requested the same two-year prison sentence as in the first trial.

Previously, former Chief Judge Im was prosecuted on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights for improperly intervening in the defamation trial of Kato Tatsuya, former Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun, who wrote an article about former President Park Geun-hye's "7-hour whereabouts during the Sewol ferry disaster" while serving as the Senior Chief Judge of the Criminal Division at the Seoul Central District Court in 2015.

The first trial acquitted him, stating that "the Senior Chief Judge does not have the authority to intervene in frontline trials." However, it also pointed out that former Chief Judge Im committed an unconstitutional act infringing on judicial independence. He retired on February 28 after his term expired.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against former Chief Judge Im on February 4, and the Constitutional Court held its first preparatory hearing for the impeachment trial on March 24, commencing the impeachment proceedings. Former Chief Judge Im appeared at the first impeachment hearing on the 10th and claimed that his actions were part of his duties as Senior Chief Judge of the Criminal Division and not interference in trials.