Seong Nak-in, the mayor of Changnyeong County, Gyeongnam, who was prosecuted for violating the Public Official Election Act, received a fine of less than 1 million won in the appellate trial, allowing him to retain his mayoral position.
The Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court (Chief Judge Seo Sam-hee) dismissed the prosecution's appeal against Mayor Seong's violation of the Public Official Election Act on the 7th.
According to the court, Mayor Seong, who was a member of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly in the second half of 2022, was indicted for violating the restriction on continuous donations by donating 200,000 won each as sponsorship money to alumni meetings of the graduate school he belonged to.
Seong Nak-in, Governor of Changnyeong County, Gyeongnam Province, is talking with reporters at the Provincial Assembly Press Center when he was a provincial assembly member. [Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]
The prosecution appealed, arguing that the sentence was too lenient after Mayor Seong was fined 800,000 won in the first trial, and requested the court to impose a fine of 2.5 million won, the same amount as the prosecution's original demand in the first trial.
The court stated, "The defendant was indicted for making donations, and the nature of the crime is not light," but added, "He admitted his wrongdoing, and considering that the donation was made when there were still four years left until the next provincial assembly election, it cannot be seen that he had a definite purpose or intention to influence the election."
Earlier, Mayor Seong ran as an independent candidate and was elected in the by-election held on April 5, following the death of former mayor Kim Bu-young, who was indicted for vote-buying during the nationwide simultaneous local elections.
Elected public officials are disqualified if they are sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or more for violating the Public Official Election Act.
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