'Sohn Hye-won, accused of Mokpo speculation, receives reduced fine of 10 million won in appeal trial'

Not Guilty of Violating the Anti-Corruption Act... Guilty Only of Real Estate Real-Name Violation Charges

Former lawmaker Son Hye-won, who was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison in the first trial on charges of purchasing real estate under a borrowed name after obtaining the Mokpo city urban regeneration project plan in advance, is attending the second appeal trial held on the afternoon of the 26th at the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Former Democratic Party lawmaker Son Hye-won, who was prosecuted for purchasing real estate under a borrowed name after learning in advance about Mokpo City's 'urban regeneration project plan,' received a reduced sentence to a fine in the appellate court.

The Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Appeal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Byun Sung-hwan) overturned the original sentence of 1 year and 6 months imprisonment and sentenced Son and others, who were indicted for violating the Act on the Prevention of Corruption and the Establishment and Operation of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (Anti-Corruption Act), to a fine of 10 million KRW on the 25th during the second trial sentencing.

The court judged that the 'Mokpo City Urban Regeneration Project materials' received by former lawmaker Son were confidential, but found that Son did not purchase related real estate through this information, and thus acquitted her of violating the Anti-Corruption Act. This was because the confidentiality was lost after the security material contents were publicly disclosed to the public through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on December 14, 2017.

However, the court upheld the first trial's guilty verdict regarding the charge that Son conducted real estate transactions using her nephew's name and imposed a fine.

Additionally, the court overturned the original sentence of 1 year imprisonment for Son's former aide Jo and sentenced him to 6 months imprisonment with a 1-year probation.

At the second trial's closing arguments held on October 18, the prosecution had requested a 4-year prison sentence for Son and 2 years and 6 months for Jo.

Son was indicted on charges of violating the Anti-Corruption Act for receiving non-public materials containing the urban regeneration project plan from Mokpo City officials twice in May and September 2017, and from June 2017 to January 2019, purchasing real estate worth approximately 1.4 billion KRW, including 26 land parcels and 21 buildings within the urban regeneration project area, under the names of her nephew, acquaintances, and the Crosspoint Cultural Foundation chaired by her husband.

She was also suspected of violating the Real Name Real Estate Act by holding three land parcels and two buildings related to Changseongjang under her nephew Son Mo's name, worth about 72 million KRW.