From Denial to Admission of Charges, Additional Indictment for False Accusation
Voluntarily Held Press Conference During Ongoing Criminal Trial
Prosecution Seeks Prison Sentence, Citing Aggravated Nature of Offenses
Sang Byungheon, a Sejong City council member, voluntarily held a press conference in April last year and made statements denying his charges.
Sang Byungheon, a Sejong City council member from the Democratic Party of Korea, who was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a fellow city council member, is now facing a prison sentence and stands at a critical juncture regarding his detention.
The case involving Councilor Sang dates back to an incident in 2022 and has been ongoing at the first trial level for three years. Although he had completely denied the charges from the outset, he recently admitted to all charges during a court hearing.
According to the legal community on June 26, during the trial for charges including forcible molestation against Councilor Sang, held at the Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 8, the prosecution requested a two-year prison sentence.
In August 2022, while serving as the chairman of the Sejong City Council, Sang was accused of forcibly molesting a fellow male council member, referred to as Mr. A from the same party, by touching his private parts after a dinner gathering at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul. He was also accused of forcibly kissing another male council member, Mr. B, from the People Power Party.
However, during the investigation, Sang counter-sued Mr. A for forcible molestation, claiming that Mr. A had also molested him. After investigating the alleged victim and other relevant parties, the prosecution determined that this claim was false and subsequently indicted Sang on an additional charge of making a false accusation.
The criminal case against Sang, who was prosecuted for both forcible molestation and making a false accusation, has been ongoing for three years. More than two years passed after the indictment before the first trial verdict, which is considered an unusually long period compared to typical criminal cases. During the trial, Sang's legal representatives resigned several times, and at times he appeared in court without legal counsel, which caused delays in the proceedings. There has been criticism over whether these delays were intentional to prolong the trial.
Particularly, there is speculation that both the prosecution and the court may view Sang's conduct as especially egregious, as he abruptly changed his position from denying the charges to admitting to all of them.
The prosecution's decision to indict Sang on an additional charge of making a false accusation is also drawing attention. In summary, the prosecution views the act of lying about his own charges during the proceedings, and filing a report with the intention of having the actual victim criminally punished, as highly malicious conduct.
A legal professional commented, "Councilor Sang voluntarily held a press conference after being indicted by the prosecution and attempted what is referred to as a 'trial by public opinion' by denying the charges. This can be seen as an aggravating factor regarding the nature of his crime." The professional added, "The statements made at the press conference strongly suggested an attempt to portray the case as a politically orchestrated incident, which was unrelated to the essence of the case and ultimately undermined his political justification."
The court is also expected to closely consider the nature of Sang's conduct in attempting such crimes. Despite being tried without detention for an extended period, no settlement has been reached with the victims.
Sang stated, "I am deeply sorry and remorseful for causing controversy due to this disgraceful incident. I am making efforts to reach a settlement with the victims, but the difference in settlement amounts is significant, so we have not yet reached an agreement. I will continue to work toward a settlement by the sentencing date." The sentencing for Sang is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on July 24 at Courtroom 317 of the Daejeon District Court.
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