Court to Deliver Verdict on the 11th of Next Month
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The prosecution has requested a 7-year prison sentence in the appellate trial for Professor Jeong Gyeong-sim of Dongyang University, who was indicted on charges related to her children's admission fraud and private equity fund. The court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on the 11th of next month.
On the afternoon of the 12th, during the sentencing hearing held at the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 1-2 (Presiding Judge Eom Sang-pil), the prosecution made this request to the court. The prosecution also sought a fine of 900 million won and a confiscation amount of approximately 164 million won. This is the same sentence as requested in the first trial. The prosecution stated, "The defendant's crimes are serious offenses that undermine the values of fairness, trust, and the rule of law in our society, and corresponding responsibility must be held to reestablish these values," adding, "It is time to end the era of lies and unfairness and restore an era of truth and fairness."
The prosecution defined the charges of illegal investment in private equity funds and admission fraud as "crimes pursuing unearned income without paying the price for legitimate efforts." They emphasized, "Although the defendant did not abuse the authority of her spouse's position as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs or engage in bribery, it is clear that she committed criminal acts and abused her status, which constitutes power-type corruption."
Regarding criticisms of excessive investigation raised by some, the prosecution denied them. They said, "This case was investigated because civil society raised suspicions of corruption by those in power, similar to the state manipulation scandal," and added, "This case was strictly investigated under the same standards as the state manipulation case, and if it had not been, it would have been criticized as 'power appeasement.'"
On the other hand, the defense argued in their closing statement, "The prosecution claims that the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs abused public status and authority in this case, but it is incomprehensible when, to whom, and what authority former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk exercised to warrant such expressions." Regarding the allegations of illegal investment in private equity funds, they pointed out, "'Whether former Minister Cho's influence was involved' was a factor driving the investigation and legitimizing it, but there is no such evidence in the investigation materials." Regarding the admission fraud charges, they requested, "The trial court recognized as evidence the instructor lounge PC and derivative materials, which are illegally obtained evidence. Since there are errors in fact-finding and legal interpretation, we ask for the appellate court's judgment to be overturned."
In his final statement, Professor Jeong said, "When I think about the hellish time my entire family and I have endured, tears well up and my heart aches," adding, "The most precious part of my life collapsed overnight, and while sitting alone in a detention center cell, I found myself in a time of reflection." He continued, "Although I could not perform good deeds to boast of, I tried not to harm others," and expressed, "I sincerely hope that through this trial, my grievances will be revealed and that the day I return to normal life will come soon."
Professor Jeong was indicted on charges including forging Dongyang University certificates and falsely issuing internship activity confirmations to use in her daughter Cho Min's admissions, thereby obstructing the admissions process at various schools. She is also charged with obtaining insider information related to secondary battery company WFM in advance for profit, opening a nominee account to conceal assets, and falsely registering Cho as a research assistant at Dongyang University to receive subsidies. In the previous first trial, some charges related to admission fraud and the private equity fund operator Kolink PE were found guilty, and she was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Following the prison sentence, Professor Jeong was detained and has been undergoing the appellate trial while in custody.
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