[Breaking] Supreme Court Confirms Former Vice Minister Kim Hak-ui's Innocence on Bribery Charges... Case Closed After 9 Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The acquittal of former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Hak-ui, who was indicted on charges of receiving bribes including money and sexual favors from construction businessman Yoon Jung-chun and other construction businessman Choi Mo, has been finalized.

It has been nine years since the so-called 'villa sexual favor video' was reported by the media in March 2013.

On the 11th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Cheon Dae-yeop) upheld the lower court's ruling (retrial after remand) that acquitted former Vice Minister Kim of the charge of receiving bribes amounting to about 43 million won from Mr. Choi in the final appeal trial on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

Former Vice Minister Kim was arrested and indicted in June 2019 on charges of receiving bribes worth about 31 million won and multiple sexual favors of an unquantifiable amount from Mr. Yoon from January 2007 to February of the following year, and for having A, who was introduced by Mr. Yoon and had continuous sexual relations, exempt a debt of 100 million won owed to Mr. Yoon (third-party bribery).

The indictment against former Vice Minister Kim also included charges of receiving about 43 million won in cash and payments for a mobile phone under a borrowed name from Mr. Choi, who acted as a sponsor from August 2003 to May 2011, and receiving bribes of about 150 million won from a certain savings bank president.

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