[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] It has been confirmed that Park Cheol-min, known as the whistleblower alleging Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, was involved with organized crime, was sentenced to prison for violating the Attorney-at-Law Act by receiving money in exchange for 'plea bargaining' through reporting cases to other inmates while incarcerated.
According to the legal community on the 19th, Judge Lee In-su of the Criminal Division 1 at Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Court sentenced Park, who was indicted last month on charges including violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act, violation of the Act on Punishment of Violence, etc. (joint extortion), injury, and violation of the Narcotics Control Act (psychotropic substances), to 4 years and 6 months in prison and ordered a confiscation of 193.3 million KRW.
From November 2019 to March 2020, while detained at Seoul Eastern Detention Center on charges including fraud, Park proposed to inmate A that he would report police corruption and celebrity drug-related crimes to the prosecution on A's behalf and help secure leniency in sentencing based on these reports. In return, he received 193 million KRW through his wife, and was indicted on charges of receiving money under the pretext of solicitation or mediation related to cases or affairs handled by public officials (violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act).
In fact, through A, he submitted case reports and petitions to the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office containing allegations such as police bribery and sexual favors, and drug use involving African Broadcasting BJ, and during the prosecution interview process, he was found to have testified requesting leniency for A.
Additionally, Park is accused of assault for repeatedly hitting victims' faces while verbally abusing them for looking at him unpleasantly during a drinking session at a restaurant in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, in November 2018.
He is also charged with extorting approximately 230 million KRW through so-called 'kkotbaem work'?inducing physical contact with women from male victims and then blackmailing them?from June 2018 to March 2019.
Furthermore, he was prosecuted for drug use, having consumed 0.08g to 0.12g of methamphetamine diluted in water at a restaurant in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, around March 2019, and for using drugs three times until May of the same year.
A person presumed to be Mr. Park posted a photo of a stack of money along with a message on his Facebook. / Photo by the individual on Facebook capture
Meanwhile, on the 18th, Kim Yong-pan, a member of the People Power Party, revealed a handwritten statement and photos of cash bundles provided by Park, who is the action leader of the violent organization 'International Mafia Group' and an employee of Komatrade, during the Gyeonggi Province audit by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee.
However, on the same day at the Gyeonggi Province audit, Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party disclosed that the photo of the cash bundles shown by Kim, who claimed to have received a tip from Park, was identical to a photo already posted on a Facebook account named 'Park ○○,' presumed to be Park, in November 2018.
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