Park Jong-woo, Spouse of Geoje Mayor, Fined 2.5 Million Won Confirmed

The fine of 2.5 million won imposed on Park Jong-woo, the spouse of the mayor of Geoje, Gyeongnam, who was prosecuted for donating a large sum to a temple, has been finalized.

According to the legal community on the 7th, Mrs. A, the wife of Mayor Park, and the prosecution gave up their appeal against the appellate court's verdict delivered on the 21st of last month.

Jong-woo Park, Mayor of Geoje, Gyeongnam.
[Photo by Geoje City Hall]

Earlier, Mrs. 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 both the first trial and the appellate trial.

The monk B, who received the money from Mrs. A, was also ordered to pay a fine of 1 million won and to confiscate the donation amount of 10 million won, but Mr. B filed an appeal to the Supreme Court citing factual errors and legal misunderstandings.

Since Mrs. A received a confirmed sentence that does not reach the disqualification threshold of imprisonment or a fine of 3 million won for a spouse, Mayor Park is able to maintain his position as mayor.

In Mayor Park's own trial related to violations of the Public Official Election Act, if he is ultimately acquitted or sentenced to a fine of less than 1 million won, he will also avoid the risk of losing his mayoral position.

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