Kim Eun-kyung Sentenced to 2 Years and 6 Months in Prison for 'Ministry of Environment Blacklist'... Judicial Detention (Update 2)

Former Blue House Balanced Personnel Secretary Shin Misook Receives Probation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Former Minister of Environment Kim Eun-kyung, who was prosecuted in the 'Ministry of Environment Blacklist' case, was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial.

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-1 (Presiding Judge Sunhee Kim) sentenced former Minister Kim on the afternoon of the 9th to this term for abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, and ordered her immediate detention. Former Blue House Balanced Personnel Secretary Shin Mi-sook, who was also prosecuted, was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation.

Former Minister Kim and former Secretary Shin were charged with coercing resignations from executives of public institutions under the Ministry of Environment, who were appointed during the Park Geun-hye administration, and interfering in the hiring process so that candidates favored by the Blue House would be appointed to these positions. It was investigated that from December 2017 to January 2019, they pressured 15 executives of affiliated public institutions to submit their resignations, of whom 13 resigned. During this process, when Kim, a standing auditor of the Korea Environment Corporation, refused to submit his resignation, they allegedly conducted a 'targeted audit' against him, forcing him to step down and attempted to appoint Park, who was pro-government, as his successor.

Previously, the prosecution had requested a 5-year prison sentence each for former Minister Kim and former Secretary Shin at the sentencing hearing held in November last year.

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