The Supreme Court will deliver its verdict on June 3 regarding Hong Nampyo, the Mayor of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, who has been put on trial for alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act.
Mayor Hong was indicted on charges of conspiring with his campaign's chief election strategist, Mr. A, to offer a public office position to Mr. B, who was planning to run in the People Power Party's primary for Changwon mayor, in exchange for joining his campaign ahead of the June 2022 local elections.
Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, expresses his intention to appeal immediately after the appellate court verdict. Photo by Lee Seryoung
He was indicted on November 30, 2022, and was acquitted in the first trial on February 8, 2024, about one year and two months later. After the prosecution appealed, he was sentenced to six months in prison with a one-year suspended sentence in the second trial on December 18 of the same year, about nine months later.
According to the Public Official Election Act, if an elected public official is convicted and receives a prison sentence or a fine of 1 million won or more for violating the Act, their election is annulled.
If the Supreme Court upholds the guilty verdict, Changwon city administration will be run by the First Deputy Mayor as acting mayor until the next 9th local election.
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