Asan Mayor Park Kyungkwi Fined 15 Million Won Again in Retrial...Ruling Leads to Loss of Office

Daejeon High Court Criminal Division 3 Upholds Original Ruling

Daejeon District Court and Daejeon High Court / Photo by Park Jongmyung

In the retrial of Park Kyung-gwi, the mayor of Asan, for violating the Public Official Election Act, the same sentence as the original trial, which nullifies his election, was handed down.

The Daejeon High Court's 3rd Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Kim Byungsik) sentenced Mayor Park to a fine of 15 million won in the retrial on June 9, the same as the original verdict.

Previously, the prosecution also requested the court to uphold the original sentence of a 15 million won fine during the final hearing on June 4.

If this fine is finalized, Mayor Park's election will be nullified.

Mayor Park was brought to trial on charges of spreading false information about his opponent, former Asan mayor Oh Sehyun, during the 8th nationwide local elections in 2022, and was sentenced to a fine of 15 million won in both the first and second trials.

The Supreme Court found a procedural issue, stating that the verdict was rendered without notifying the defense lawyers of the receipt of the case records, and overturned the original ruling, sending the case back to the Daejeon High Court.