Heo Seok, Mayor of Suncheon, Sentenced to a Fine... Green Light for Reelection Bid

Mayor Heo Seok "Thanks to the court for ensuring no interruption in city administration"

[Suncheon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Suncheon Mayor Heo Seok was sentenced to a fine in the appeal trial, allowing him to run for re-election in the Suncheon mayoral election to be held in June.

The 3rd Criminal Division of Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Tae-ho) sentenced Mayor Heo Seok, who was accused of misappropriating subsidies, to a fine of 20 million won at the sentencing hearing on the 25th, stating, "He did not use the subsidies for personal gain, contributed to the revitalization of local media, and made efforts to restore damages."

Accordingly, Mayor Heo removed all obstacles to maintaining his position as Suncheon mayor and running in the upcoming June mayoral election.

Mayor Heo expressed his reflections, saying, "There was someone who dredged up an incident from over ten years ago, barely remembered, and spread all kinds of slanders, but I endured silently to minimize the impact on city administration rather than making excuses."

He continued, "Regardless of the circumstances, I apologize for causing concern to the citizens," and "Above all, I thank the court for the ruling that allows me to lead the city administration without interruption."

He also stated, "Recently, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been spreading in our region as well, and I will support all administrative efforts to establish quarantine measures and actively help citizens restore their daily lives."

Mayor Heo was freed from the appeal trial verdict after 3 years and 7 months since being caught up in accusations by former Suncheon City Council member Lee Mo immediately after being elected as the 7th term Suncheon mayor in the June 2018 local elections.