Attorney Jung Chulseung Sentenced to One Year in Prison in First Trial for Disclosing Identity of Late Park Wonsoon’s Victim

Attorney Chulseung Jung, who was indicted for disclosing the identity of the victim in the sexual assault case involving the late former Seoul Mayor Park Wonsoon, was sentenced to a prison term in the first trial. However, the court did not take him into custody, stating there was room for appeal in the appellate court.

Chulseung Jung, Attorney. Yonhap News

On May 28, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Agreement Division 29 (Presiding Judge Eom Gipyo) sentenced Jung to one year in prison for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and the Personal Information Protection Act. The court stated, "The posts in question were disseminated through social media, which has a high potential for spreading information, and the fact that the defendant, who is an attorney, posted them himself likely amplified their impact." The court further explained, "The victim's rights to honor, privacy, secrecy, and self-determination over personal information were infringed, and she continues to suffer severe psychological distress." The court added, "The defendant has shifted responsibility for the incident onto the victim and continues to insist that his actions were justified, showing no signs of remorse or apology to the victim." However, the court did consider the fact that Jung had no prior convictions for similar offenses as a mitigating factor in his favor.

Jung was indicted without detention in June 2023 on charges of repeatedly posting on Facebook in August 2021 content that could identify the victim in the sexual assault case involving former Mayor Park. The posts included personal information that could identify the victim, such as her department and job duties, as well as statements suggesting that there was no physical evidence to support her claim of sexual harassment.

Meanwhile, in October last year, Jung was also sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial for repeatedly sexually harassing a junior attorney at a restaurant in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in 2023.