Former Union Executive Who Took Bribes in 'Gwangju Hakdong Disaster' Sentenced to 3 Years and 6 Months in Prison

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Jin-hyung] A broker in his 60s, a former union executive who committed illegal subcontracting contract misconduct related to the Gwangju Hakdong disaster, has been sentenced to prison.

On the 7th, Judge Park Chan-woo of the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 6 sentenced broker Lee (62), who was arrested and indicted on charges including bribery after fraudulent acts, to 3 years and 6 months in prison and ordered a fine of 210 million won.

Lee, a former executive of the Hakdong Maintenance District 4 Redevelopment Union, was tried on charges of receiving 210 million won from two related companies in collusion with another broker Moon Heung-sik (62, arrested and indicted) twice in July and September 2019 under the pretext of helping secure contracts for the removal of obstacles and maintenance infrastructure projects ordered by the union.

Lee has denied the charges, stating, "There was a request before I was appointed as a union director. At the time I received the money, I was not a union executive. The bribes received are not related to the contract awards."

The presiding judge stated, "Lee bears heavy responsibility for accepting bribes in exchange for securing the project. In particular, he betrayed his duty to uphold fairness and equity in the redevelopment project. Since such crimes led to poor construction, severe punishment is necessary."

Currently, Moon is on trial at the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 10 for charges of violating the Attorney Act and the Framework Act on the Construction Industry, accused of receiving or sharing 1.29 billion won in bribes 11 times between March 2016 and September last year in exchange for facilitating contracts with redevelopment unions.

Meanwhile, on June 9 at 4:22 p.m., a building with one underground floor and five above-ground floors collapsed at the demolition site of Hakdong District 4 redevelopment, crushing a city bus stopped at the platform, resulting in 9 deaths and 8 serious injuries.

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