Following the acquittal of Hwang Unha, a member of the Joguk Innovation Party, and former Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho in the appellate court on charges of 'interfering in the Ulsan mayoral election' during former President Moon Jae-in's administration, the prosecution stated that it is "difficult to accept" the verdict and announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
On the 4th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said in a statement, "The appellate court's ruling violates the rules of evidence, reflects insufficient trial proceedings, and contradicts Supreme Court precedents," adding, "We plan to seek correction through an appeal."
The Central Prosecutors' Office criticized, "The appellate court rejected the credibility of key witnesses whose testimonies were deemed credible through two days of witness examination in the first trial court, citing reasons that are difficult to accept."
It also stated, "Regarding the charge of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights for carrying out a demotion transfer of affiliated police officers without following established procedures, on the grounds that there was no active involvement in improper directive investigations, the court acquitted them citing ambiguous reasons that it cannot definitively determine illegality, which is hard to accept."
Furthermore, "If the appellate court's outcome stands, all high-ranking officials involved in this case, including the metropolitan mayor, the provincial police chief, and the Blue House secretary, will be exempt from punishment," and "Conversely, only local government officials who provided election pledge materials at their request will be punished by losing their voting rights, creating an unreasonable situation," the statement said.
The Seoul High Court acquitted Hwang and former Mayor Song on the same day. In the first trial, both were sentenced to three years in prison.
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