'Trial Interference' Charge: Im Seong-geun's Appeal Trial Resumes Today After 3 Months

Former Chief Judge Lim Seong-geun [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The appellate trial regarding former Chief Judge Im Seong-geun's charges of 'abuse of judicial administrative power and interference in trials,' who was the first judge in constitutional history to be impeached, will resume after about three months.

On the 20th at 2 p.m., the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Park Yeon-wook, Kim Gyudong, Lee Hee-jun) will hold the fourth appellate trial for former Chief Judge Im, who was indicted on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

Former Chief Judge Im was brought to trial in March 2019 on charges of improperly intervening in the defamation trial of Kato Tatsuya, former Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun, who wrote an article about former President Park Geun-hye's '7-hour whereabouts during the Sewol ferry disaster,' while serving as the senior criminal presiding judge at the Seoul Central District Court in 2015.

Since defendants are required to appear at formal trial dates, former Chief Judge Im is expected to appear publicly for the first time since the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion after the conclusion of the first trial. He retired on February 28 after his term expired.

The previous first trial acquitted former Chief Judge Im, stating that 'the senior presiding judge does not have the authority to intervene in frontline trials.' However, it also pointed out that he committed unconstitutional acts infringing on judicial independence.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against former Chief Judge Im on February 4, and the Constitutional Court held the first preparatory hearing for the impeachment trial on March 24, beginning the impeachment proceedings.

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