'Song Cheol-ho, accused of violating the Public Official Election Act, repeatedly absent from trials... "Busy with elections"'

Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho is attending the trial on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act in the case of alleged election interference and directed investigation by the Blue House in the Ulsan mayoral election, held on the 14th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Song Cheol-ho, mayor of Ulsan, who was indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, did not appear consecutively at the trial regarding allegations of the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House interfering in the Ulsan mayoral election, citing the local elections.

Mayor Song did not appear at the trial on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act held on the 23rd at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21-3 (Presiding Judges Jang Yong-beom, Ma Seong-young, Kim Jeong-gon). This is the second absence following the hearing on the 16th of this month.

In response, the court pointed out, "(Mayor Song) was also absent at the previous hearing," and stated, "Since it cannot be considered that he was absent for a major reason, the trial will proceed in his absence according to the Public Official Election Act."

Article 270-2, Paragraph 2 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that if a defendant in an election crime trial is absent without justifiable reason, the court must set another date, and if the defendant fails to appear again on the newly set date, the trial may proceed without the defendant.

Mayor Song, who is seeking re-election, requested at the trial held on the 25th of last month, "The two weeks before the local elections are very important, so I would like the trial to be postponed at least during that period," but the court did not accept this, saying, "This is not just any trial, but a trial for violation of the Public Official Election Act." Mayor Song ran as a candidate for Ulsan mayor in the June 1 local elections.

Mayor Song is suspected of having received illegal assistance from the Blue House ahead of the 2018 local elections. The prosecution viewed that there was election interference by the Blue House and a directed investigation by the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency. Related to this case, Mayor Song, former Ulsan Deputy Mayor Song Byung-gi, Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha (former chief of the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency), former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary Baek Won-woo, former Blue House Anti-Corruption Secretary Park Hyung-cheol, and former Blue House Political Affairs Secretary Han Byung-do were all brought to trial.