'Employment Corruption' Kim Hak-hyun, Former Fair Trade Commission Vice Chairman, Sentenced to Prison... Jung Jae-chan Given Probation Sentence

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prison sentence has been finalized for former Fair Trade Commission Vice Chairman Kim Hak-hyun, who was indicted for forcing the hiring of retired executives.

The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Kim Sang-hwan) upheld the original sentence on the 13th, sentencing former Fair Trade Commission Vice Chairman Kim Hak-hyun to 1 year and 6 months in prison. Former Fair Trade Commission Chairman Jeong Jae-chan, who was also tried, received a confirmed sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation. On the other hand, former Chairmen Noh Dae-rae and Kim Dong-su, former Vice Chairman Shin Young-sun, and current Vice Chairman Ji Cheol-ho were acquitted. Vice Chairman Ji was indicted for employment at a restricted institution without undergoing the Public Officials Ethics Committee review, but the not guilty verdict was maintained from the first trial through the Supreme Court.

Except for current Vice Chairman Ji Cheol-ho, five others were prosecuted for abusing regulatory authority while working at the Fair Trade Commission from 2012 to 2017 by pressuring private companies to hire executives scheduled to retire (obstruction of business). At the time of the incident, 16 companies, unable to resist the coercion, hired 18 Fair Trade Commission executives and paid a total of 7.6 billion KRW in wages.

The first trial recognized that the Fair Trade Commission actively exercised its power over companies and held responsible the head of the Operations Support Division, who mainly discussed and decided on the employment issues of retirees and reported to the chairman, as well as the former vice chairman. The second trial had the same judgment but acquitted former Vice Chairman Shin Young-sun, who had been sentenced to 1 year in prison with 2 years probation in the first trial. It was judged that, as the office chief at the time, it was difficult to see that he exercised substantial decision-making authority.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.