Court: "Conditions for Payment Not Met"
The Korea Music Copyright Association has won an appellate court ruling stating it is not obligated to pay a reward to the individual who reported alleged election fraud involving Chairman Choo Gayul.
According to the association on December 26, the Seoul High Court overturned the initial ruling in favor of the plaintiff regarding the 'election fraud reward' lawsuit filed against the association, and dismissed the plaintiff's claim on December 19. The court found that the alleged election fraud reported by the plaintiff was not objectively proven, and therefore the conditions for the reward promised by the association had not been met.
This case began when former employee A reported during the 24th chairman election of the association in 2021 that "candidate Choo Gayul provided 1 million won in cash along with a box of tangerines to regular member B." The first trial court ruled that the handwriting in a letter submitted as evidence was similar to that of Chairman Choo Gayul and ordered a reward of 10 million won to be paid. However, the appellate court reached a different conclusion.
The appellate court stated, "It is extremely unusual and unreasonable, based on common experience, for an election candidate to leave clear evidence by writing about providing money in a handwritten letter bearing their own name," questioning the credibility of the evidence. The court also cited the fact that the evidence was submitted more than a year after the election ended, and that no other member except B was confirmed to have received a similar letter, as reasons for insufficient proof of wrongdoing.
Immediately after the verdict, Chairman Choo Gayul stated, "My personal honor and the association's credibility have been damaged by these false allegations, but I am relieved that this ruling has corrected the injustice."
While this appellate verdict brings an end to the legal dispute surrounding Chairman Choo Gayul's personal affairs, a separate police investigation into internal corruption allegations within the association is still ongoing. On December 18, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's anti-corruption investigation unit conducted a search and seizure at the association's office in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The police have launched a compulsory investigation into allegations that two senior executives of the association established a corporation under an acquaintance's name and manipulated copyright fee payments.
Meanwhile, the Korea Music Copyright Association manages approximately 450 billion won in copyright fees annually.
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