'Election Law Violation' Choi Kang-wook's 2nd Trial Suspended... Observing 'Gobal Saju' Trial

Choi Kang-wook, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Jin-hyeong Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The trial for Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook's alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act will be suspended until the facts regarding the so-called 'report-for-hire' suspicion are clarified.

On the 22nd, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-3 (Presiding Judges Kang Kyung-pyo, Won Jong-chan, Jeong Chong-ryeong) stated in the appeal trial of lawmaker Choi, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act, "Since it is necessary to verify the facts of the (report-for-hire suspicion), related case proceedings should be conducted."

Earlier, lawmaker Choi was accused of falsely declaring that he did not fabricate an internship confirmation letter for the son of former Minister Cho ahead of the 2020 general election during an appearance on an internet podcast. At that time, he said on the podcast, "He (former Minister Cho's son) interned at our office since high school." The prosecution judged this statement as a false fact announcement aimed at election victory and brought him to trial.

The first trial court ruled that former Minister Cho's son did not actually intern and sentenced lawmaker Choi to a fine of 800,000 KRW. However, lawmaker Choi claims that the prosecution's indictment was a 'prosecutorial abuse of power' due to biased and targeted prosecution while President Yoon Seok-youl was Prosecutor General.

In fact, Son Joon-sung, the Human Rights Protection Officer at Daegu High Prosecutors' Office, who is accused of the report-for-hire suspicion, is scheduled for his first trial on the 27th. He is accused of colluding with Kim Woong, a People Power Party lawmaker who was a candidate of the United Future Party at the time, to influence the general election while working as the Investigation Information Policy Officer at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office during the April 2020 general election period.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Choi was also indicted for issuing a false internship confirmation letter to former Minister Cho's son, thereby obstructing graduate school admissions, and was sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation in the second trial. This case is awaiting a Supreme Court decision.