'Misappropriation of National Subsidies' Heo Seok, Mayor of Suncheon, Sentenced to 1 Year and 6 Months in Appeal Trial

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Former Suncheon Mayor Heo Seok, who was prosecuted on charges of embezzling national subsidies, has been sentenced to a disqualification from office.

On the 21st, at the Gwangju District Court's 3rd Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Kim Tae-ho), during the final hearing of the case, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Mayor Heo to 1 year and 6 months in prison.

Jung Mo, former editor-in-chief of Suncheon Citizen Newspaper, and Park Mo, general affairs officer, were each sentenced to 1 year and 1 year and 6 months in prison, respectively.

In the case of elected public officials, if a prison sentence or higher is finalized in a criminal case, they lose their position.

The prosecution stated that the sentence of 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation given in the original trial was too light, which was the reason for their sentencing request.

In his final defense, Mayor Heo’s lawyer argued factual errors, legal misunderstandings, and inappropriate sentencing.

The lawyer said, "It is true that we could not easily accept the original court’s ruling," but added, "Although he practically withdrew from operating the newspaper (Suncheon Citizen Newspaper) since 2004, the legality should have been examined carefully. He feels a strong sense of responsibility."

He continued, "The defendant deposited approximately 630 million KRW, the amount of damage stated in the indictment, to the Regional Newspaper Development Committee with the intention of restoring the damage," and requested leniency with a fine, asking the court to consider various mitigating circumstances such as the defendant’s limited involvement.

In his final statement, Mayor Heo said, "I deeply regret the incident that occurred at the newspaper I was involved with," and added, "Above all, I apologize for causing concern to the citizens of Suncheon. I will live to serve Suncheon and its citizens in the future."

The sentencing hearing will be held at 2:15 p.m. on the 25th of next month.

Mayor Heo was indicted on charges of embezzling 160 million KRW from the Regional Newspaper Development Fund, which was paid under the pretext of personnel expenses for freelance experts and intern reporters while he was the representative of Suncheon Citizen Newspaper.

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