Min Hyung-bae's Fall Targeted by False Information Spread... Im Han-pil Fined in Appeal Trial

Submission of Appeal

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Im Han-pil, the chief representative of Gwangsan Citizens' Solidarity, who was prosecuted for spreading false information about then Democratic Party preliminary candidate Min Hyung-bae in the last general election, appealed to the court but was rejected.

The 1st Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Seung-chul) on the 14th dismissed Im's appeal on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and upheld the original sentence of a 3 million won fine.

Im was prosecuted for holding a press conference at the Gwangju City Council on February 4 last year, ahead of the 21st general election, where he raised allegations of preferential real estate development corruption in the Suwan district with the intent to defeat then-candidate Min Hyung-bae in the party primary.

At the time, Im stated, "A safe theft incident occurred at a luxury villa called A Village in Suwan-dong, which is claimed to have been improperly approved during Min’s tenure as Gwangsan District Mayor in 2014," adding, "The safe contained 20 million won in 50,000 won bills and three luxury watches worth about 10 million won, totaling approximately 100 million won in cash and valuables."

He further claimed, "The house where the safe was found is suspected to be where Min’s nephew lives," and "Although the nephew is said to be the owner of the villa, there is reasonable suspicion about who the actual owner is."

However, investigations revealed that the theft did not occur at A Village but at a nearby townhouse owned by the nephew, leading the prosecution to apply charges of false information dissemination.

In response, Im explained, "I raised the suspicion based on media reports and tips from various sources," adding, "If I had described it as a luxury villa without specifying A Village, there would have been no issue. I was trying to fulfill my role as a civic group."

Nevertheless, the court ruled, "Considering the verification process of the informant and other circumstances, it is judged as recklessness," and "Disclosing such facts one month before the party primary as a civic group is a serious offense."

Im immediately filed a notice of appeal to the Gwangju High Court on the same day.

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