Maeng Jeongho, Former Seosan Mayor, Acquitted of Election Law Violation Charges on Appeal

"Politics Should Not Be About Destroying Competitors...
I Will Follow the Path the Citizens Want Me to Take"

Maeng Jeongho, former mayor of Seosan. /File photo

Maeng Jungho, former mayor of Seosan City in South Chungcheong Province, who had previously received a suspended sentence for violating the Public Official Election Act, was acquitted on appeal.

On the 21st, the 3rd Criminal Division of the Daejeon High Court (Presiding Judge Kim Byungsik) overturned the original verdict and acquitted former Mayor Maeng, who had been indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act.

The court ruled that Maeng's remarks were not specific enough to determine whether they constituted false information.

The appellate court stated, "According to Article 250, Paragraph 2 of the Public Official Election Act, facts must be provable by evidence. However, based solely on the defendant's statements, it cannot be considered that the remarks were specific enough to determine when and how candidate Lee Wanseop obtained the information or by what means he intended to gain any benefit," and thus returned a not guilty verdict.

Former Mayor Maeng was brought to trial on charges of stating during a campaign rally in Seosan on May 29, 2022, ahead of the 8th nationwide local elections, "Should a candidate who tries to speculate using information become mayor?"

Although the prosecution decided not to indict in this case, the camp of Lee Wanseop, Maeng's opponent at the time and current mayor of Seosan, filed for a judicial review and the court accepted the request.

The court of first instance stated, "Considering that the defendant admitted to being careless with his remarks and has no previous record of similar offenses," and suspended the sentence of a 3 million won fine, but both the prosecution and former Mayor Maeng appealed.

Immediately after the acquittal, former Mayor Maeng stated on social media, "Today, I was acquitted in the Daejeon High Court regarding the election law case," and added, "I am grateful to the citizens, party members, and supporters who worried and cheered for me."

He continued, "Politics should not be about destroying competitors. I hope a political culture is created where competition is centered on policies and public sentiment," and added, "Now I feel lighter and stronger. I will visit more often and talk about the future of Seosan. I will follow the path that the citizens want me to take."