Cheon Younggi, the mayor of Tongyeong, Gyeongnam, who has been indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, denied all charges at the second trial held on the 23rd.
At the second trial held at the Tongyeong Branch of the Changwon District Court, Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kim Youngseok), Cheon's legal team stated, "We deny all legal charges in the indictment."
Cheon Younggi, mayor of Tongyeong City, Gyeongnam, is speaking at the Tongyeong City Council. Photo by Tongyeong City Hall
Mayor Cheon was brought to trial on charges of using his position during the 62nd Hansan Battle Festival on August 12 last year to appeal for support in the general election for Jeong Jeomsik, a National Assembly member representing the Tongyeong-Goseong district from the People Power Party, and to induce a positive response.
On that day, he walked around the festival with Representative Jeong and asked, "There is a National Assembly election next year. Who should we support?" After hearing chants for Representative Jeong, he said, "It has been 20 years since Tongyeong City had such a good relationship between the mayor and the National Assembly member. Please give us a lot of support."
He also said, "The head of □□-dong is a high school senior of Representative Jeong Jeomsik," and added, "If the votes don't come out, what will happen? This is my constituency, so please help us get a lot of votes next April."
The Gyeongnam Election Commission received a video tip showing Mayor Cheon making these remarks at the festival, investigated whether he violated the Public Official Election Act, and reported him to the prosecution.
Cheon Younggi, mayor of Tongyeong City, Gyeongnam, is appealing for general election support for Jeong Jeongsik, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party representing the Tongyeong-Goseong district, at the 62nd Hansan Battle Festival. [Photo by YouTube video capture]
At the trial, Mayor Cheon's attorney emphasized, "As the mayor of Tongyeong, he reflects on not being able to uphold the law, but moral responsibility and legal responsibility must be clearly distinguished."
"The Supreme Court defines election campaigning as an active and planned act with a specific purpose," he said. "These remarks were made impulsively and in response to the festive atmosphere, so they cannot be considered election campaigning."
He also added, "Since there was still a long time left before the general election, it cannot be seen as an act intended to influence the election. At the time, Mayor Cheon attended the festival as the chairman of the Hansan Battle Culture Foundation, not as the mayor of Tongyeong, so it does not constitute an act of using his position under the Public Official Election Act."
In response, the court requested the submission of materials and opinions regarding the process and circumstances under which Mayor Cheon came to serve as chairman of the Hansan Battle Culture Foundation, including the method of selection and relevant laws and regulations.
The third trial for this case is scheduled to be held at 5 p.m. on October 10.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
