'Election Interference' Former Chief Kang Shin-myeong Sentenced in First Trial: "Degraded Police into a Politically Biased Group"

On October 13, 2014, Kang Shin-myung, Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, is responding to questions from lawmakers during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of the National Police Agency held at the Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Former Commissioner of the National Police Agency Kang Shin-myung, who was prosecuted for illegal interference in the National Assembly elections during the Park Geun-hye administration, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

On the afternoon of the 26th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Kim Ok-gon) sentenced former Commissioner Kang to 1 year and 2 months in prison for violating the Public Official Election Act and obstruction of the exercise of rights by abuse of authority, related to intelligence activities concerning the 20th general election.

However, the court judged that there was no risk of flight or evidence destruction, so re-arrest due to bail cancellation in court was not carried out. For other election-related intelligence activities by former Commissioner Kang, the court separately sentenced him to 4 months in prison with a 2-year probation.

The court emphasized, "Under the pretext of assisting the then president's state affairs management, the government policies were used to label individuals or groups opposing or criticizing them as leftist forces, monitor their movements, and approve and direct biased intelligence activities, thereby committing illegal acts contrary to the fundamental principles of democracy that guarantee freedom of thought and pluralism."

The court added, "The national police organization was turned into a politically biased group that blindly obeyed the unjust demands of power by intervening in public elections. In particular, defendant Kang Shin-myung, as the head of the 120,000-strong police organization and the final decision-maker on national police affairs, neglected his duties and ultimately approved and directed illegal intelligence activities, causing serious consequences of organized intelligence police involvement in public elections."

On this day, the court sentenced former Commissioner Lee Cheol-sung, who served as Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency during Kang's tenure, to a suspended prison sentence. Former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hyun Ki-hwan, who had already been punished for related charges, was acquitted (dismissed without judicial judgment).

Earlier, former Commissioner Kang and others were prosecuted for collecting tailored election information for the pro-Park (pro-Park Geun-hye) faction and establishing election measures during the 20th general election in April 2016. They were also accused of labeling progressive education superintendents critical of the Blue House and ruling party, as well as some members of the National Human Rights Commission, as 'leftists' and conducting surveillance from 2012 to 2016.

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