Bail Approved by Jang Donghyuk... "Gwangju Legal Corruption" Case
220 Million Won Received Under Pretense of Judge’s Personal Connection
Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal... "No Misunderstanding of the Law"
A final guilty verdict has been reached in the “Gwangju legal community corruption case,” in which former judges-turned-lawyers received hundreds of millions of won from their former judicial colleagues under the pretext of seeking bail, without even filing an official notice of representation. At the time, the presiding judge who granted the bail was Jang Donghyuk, the current leader of the People Power Party.
On October 30, the Supreme Court’s Third Division (Presiding Justice Lee Heunggu) dismissed the appeals of two lawyers and a restaurant industry worker who conspired with them, finalizing their prison sentences. The defendants were indicted for violating the Attorney-at-Law Act after receiving 220 million won from the family of a construction company executive who had been detained on bid-rigging charges in 2019, promising, “We will ask the presiding judge to get your relative released on bail.”
Both the first and second trial courts found the defendants guilty, sentencing them to prison terms ranging from one year to one year and six months, and ordering the forfeiture of between 80 million and 140 million won. The judge whom the defendants claimed they would approach was Jang Donghyuk, who at the time was serving as a senior judge at the Gwangju District Court and is now the leader of the People Power Party. Prosecutors found evidence that the lawyers had received money, but could not confirm that Jang himself had received any, so he was not indicted.
The appellate court stated, “The conduct of some lawyers who exploit their experience and personal connections to receive large sums of money by fueling the baseless expectation that such ties will influence the outcome of a case gives the public a sense of despair and loss, reinforcing the perception that justice is only for the wealthy.” The court added, “Because the defendants’ actions seriously undermine public trust in the judiciary, which is the last bastion of the rule of law, severe punishment is warranted.”
The defendants all appealed, but the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s rulings.
Meanwhile, the verdict was mentioned during a comprehensive audit of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the same day. Jeon Hyunhee, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, questioned Cheon Daeyeop, Director of the National Court Administration, saying, “In the appellate trial before this Supreme Court verdict, Jang Donghyuk was directly mentioned by name. Is it reasonable that, just one day before his retirement, he granted bail and then entered politics?” Committee Chair Choo Mi-ae also pointed out, “This is a matter that should be subject to an ethics inspection.”
With the Supreme Court’s ruling on this day, the trial that began in December 2021 concluded after nearly four years.
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