Completed after 6 years... Supreme Court confirms suspended sentence for Park Gwan-cheon in 'Blue House Document Leak' case (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] The suspended prison sentence for former Police Superintendent Park Gwancheon, who was involved in the so-called 'Jung Yoonhoe Document' leak incident that triggered the state affairs manipulation scandal, has been finalized. This is the final conclusion six years after the trial began in 2015. Former Blue House Public Office Discipline Secretary Cho Eungcheon (currently a member of the Democratic Party), who was accused of ordering the creation and leak of the document to former Superintendent Park, maintained a not guilty verdict in both the first and second trials.

On the 14th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice No Jeonghee) upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing former Superintendent Park to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation in the appeal trial on charges including violation of the Presidential Records Management Act. Former Secretary Cho's not guilty verdict was confirmed.

Former Superintendent Park and former Secretary Cho were indicted on charges including violation of the Presidential Records Management Act for repeatedly handing over 17 internal Blue House documents, including those containing suspicions of Jung Yoonhoe's interference in state affairs, to Park Geunhye's younger brother Park Jiman's side from June 2013 to January 2014.

In the first trial in October 2015, former Superintendent Park was sentenced to 7 years in prison and fined 43.4 million won. Although he was acquitted of violating the Presidential Records Management Act, he was found guilty of leaking official secrets independently without Secretary Cho's instructions regarding the 'Jung Yoonhoe Document.' Apart from the document leak, he was also convicted of accepting bribes from entertainment establishments. Former Superintendent Park was additionally indicted on charges of receiving bribes worth about 170 million won in cash and gold bars from entertainment business operators.

The second trial's judgment was different. The bribery charges against former Superintendent Park were dismissed. The reason was that at the time of the crime, he received less than 100 million won, and the statute of limitations had expired under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes when the prosecution was initiated. Under this law, if the bribe amount is less than 100 million won, the statute of limitations is reduced to 7 years.

Former Secretary Cho was acquitted in both the first and second trials. It was judged that former Administrative Officer Cho did not instruct former Superintendent Park to leak the 'Jung Yoonhoe Document.' The documents delivered externally were only related to media trends, and there was insufficient evidence that content classified as official secrets was leaked.

The Supreme Court's judgment on this day was no different. The court interpreted, "Considering comprehensively the provisions and system of the Presidential Records Management Act, the Public Records Management Act, and related laws, interpreting that copies or additional printouts are included in presidential records whose leakage is prohibited is not allowed under the principle of legality."

However, regarding former Superintendent Park, the court ruled, "There is no error in the lower court's judgment that found him guilty of leaking official secrets due to delivering documents on Jung Yoonhoe's movements, including no misunderstanding of the requirements for justifiable acts, the scope of lawful duty execution, and official secrets."

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