Violation of Public Official Election Act... Sentenced to 1 Year and 6 Months Imprisonment
Park Cheol-min, a member of the violent organization International Mafia Group, who was indicted for publicly spreading false information alleging involvement of gangsters, including claims that he handed over cash to former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung ahead of the 2022 presidential election, was sentenced to prison again in the appellate court.
According to Yonhap News on the 15th, the Criminal Division 3-2 of Suwon High Court (Judges Kim Dong-gyu, Kim Jong-gi, Won Ik-seon) dismissed Park’s appeal and upheld the original verdict at the second trial on the 14th regarding his violation of the Public Official Election Act. The first trial had sentenced Park to 1 year and 6 months in prison.
Park was prosecuted for publicly spreading false information in 2021 that former leader Lee received about 2 billion KRW from close associates of the International Mafia Group in exchange for business favors while Lee was serving as mayor of Seongnam. Lawyer Jang Young-ha relayed Park’s claims in October of the same year to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Yong-pan, stating that Lee received money from the International Mafia associates in exchange for business favors. Lawmaker Kim then raised allegations of gangster involvement against Lee, who was then governor of Gyeonggi Province, during the National Assembly inspection session. At that session, Kim revealed photos of bundles of cash and handwritten statements from Park, which he said were provided by Lawyer Jang. Subsequently, the photos were revealed to be promotional images for Park’s rental car and private loan businesses, sparking controversy. It was confirmed that these photos were identical to those Park posted on his Facebook in November 2018, implying he earned money through private loans and rental cars.
The Democratic Party accused Park and Lawyer Jang of publicly spreading false information to prevent Lee Jae-myung’s election victory and reported them to the prosecution for violating the Public Official Election Act and other charges. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office decided not to indict Lawyer Jang, judging that he believed Park’s statements to be true, but the Democratic Party filed a request for reconsideration against this decision. Subsequently, the court accepted the request, and Lawyer Jang is currently on trial for this case at the Seoul Central District Court.
The appellate court explained the reason for dismissing the appeal, stating, "The original court’s judgment did not misinterpret facts or law, and the sentencing was within a reasonable range."
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