Park Jong-woo, Mayor of Geoje, Overcomes Impeachment Crisis; Spouse Also Fined 2.5 Million Won in Appeal Trial

Busan High Court Changwon Branch.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The spouse of Park Jong-woo, mayor of Geoje City, Gyeongnam, who was prosecuted on charges of making large donations to a temple, was sentenced to a fine of 2.5 million won in the appellate court as well.

According to the court, A, the spouse of Mayor Park, was indicted on charges of donating a total of 10 million won, 5 million won each over two days in July 2021, to a temple in Geoje, and was sentenced to a fine of 2.5 million won in the first trial in May.

Party A claimed innocence and appealed, and the prosecution also filed an appeal, arguing that the sentence was unfair.

On the 21st, the Changwon branch of the Busan High Court dismissed both appeals in the appellate trial of party A and upheld the original verdict.

The court also dismissed the request for a constitutional review of Article 112, Paragraph 2, Subparagraph 2 (b) of the Public Official Election Act, filed by party A’s attorney.

The monk B, who received the money from party A, was also sentenced to a fine of 1 million won, the same as in the original trial, and was ordered to confiscate the 10 million won donation.

The court stated, “It cannot be considered contradictory or unusual based on experience that before the donation act, B met or spoke with A and exchanged personal and private matters such as Mayor Park’s candidacy.”

It continued, “Considering that after the donation act in this case, B sent messages to A regarding Mayor Park’s candidacy for Geoje mayor, the credibility of the testimony is recognized.”

Since party A received a sentence less than the disqualification threshold of imprisonment or a fine of 3 million won, Mayor Park has once again avoided the risk of losing his mayoral position.

If the sentence against the spouse is confirmed as is, and Mayor Park himself is ultimately acquitted or receives a fine less than 1 million won in his trial related to violations of the Public Official Election Act, he will be able to maintain his mayoral position.

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