Prosecution Seeks Prison Sentence for Judge Who Received 10 Million Won in Legal Advice Fees

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] A sitting judge who was indicted on charges of giving legal advice to an acquaintance in exchange for money has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.

At the sentencing hearing held under Judge Kim Doo-hee of the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 9, the prosecution requested a sentence of 6 months imprisonment with a 1-year suspension for Chief Judge A of the Daejeon District Court (age 57).

For the acquaintance B (female, 54) who provided the money, the prosecution requested a fine of 5 million won.

Chief Judge A is accused of giving legal advice to acquaintance B twice, in July and September 2017, at a restaurant operated by his wife and receiving a total of 10 million won.

B is accused of handing over money to Judge A in exchange for legal advice after her former brother-in-law C, who had jointly operated a psychological counseling center with her, filed a complaint against her for embezzlement.

The prosecution stated, "As a high-ranking judge, he gave legal advice on a criminal case under investigation and received money in return, and also gave false statements during police investigations, causing confusion in the investigation, which reflects a bad nature of the crime."

However, the prosecution explained the reason for the sentencing request, saying, "During the prosecution investigation stage, he deeply reflected on his crime and only passively accepted the money given as a return for legal advice."

Regarding B, the prosecution said, "Although she consistently gave false statements to the police and prosecution, causing confusion in the investigation, she confessed to the crime at the trial stage, showed remorse, and is a first-time offender, which was taken into consideration."

The defense attorney for Judge A explained, "At first, he refused the money envelope (given by B), but he committed the fault of not returning it after it was left behind."

The attorney added, "He was so shocked that his health is currently very poor, suffering from depression, panic disorder, social phobia, sleep disorder, and breathing difficulties, and he has been receiving psychiatric treatment since March."

He then appealed for leniency, saying, "Looking at sentencing cases related to violations of the Anti-Graft Act, many cases have been sentenced to fines."

Judge A briefly stated, "There is no excuse."

Judge A was previously disciplined by the Supreme Court Judicial Disciplinary Committee on the 22nd of last month, receiving a 6-month suspension and a disciplinary fine of 10 million won. Under the Judicial Disciplinary Act, disciplinary actions are divided into reprimand, salary reduction, and suspension, with suspension ranging from 3 months to 1 year.

It is known that he was recommended as a candidate for the head of the Gwangju District Court earlier this year but voluntarily withdrew.

The sentencing hearing will be held at 1:40 p.m. on the 25th in the same courtroom.

Meanwhile, during the trial, the courtroom was stirred when an audience member claiming to be a victim demanded the right to speak.

Judge Kim demanded silence, citing the absence of a victim in this case, but the atmosphere did not calm down.

The middle-aged man stood up, claiming, "I have been victimized by the court and prosecution for years." He shouted loudly, "How do you expect me to live?" When things did not go his way, he lay down on the floor. Profanity was heard.

Eventually, security staff rushed to the man, grabbed his hands and feet, and dragged him out. The disturbance continued outside for some time.

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