與 "Judge Park Byung-gon, who sentenced Jeong Jin-seok to prison, suspected of expressing political bias in rulings"

"Among 35 Defamation Verdicts Against Park Byung-gon, Only Jeong Jin-seok Received a Prison Sentence"

The People Power Party criticized Judge Park Byung-gon of the Seoul Central District Court, who sentenced their party member Jeong Jin-seok to six months in prison in the first trial for defaming the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, saying the ruling is suspected to be politically motivated.

Deputy Spokesperson Choi Hyun-chul, citing a report from the Chosun Ilbo on the day, stated, "Among the total of 35 defamation rulings Judge Park has been involved in since his appointment, the case of Representative Jeong is known to be the only one where a prison sentence was handed down, which is higher than the prosecution's demand."

Deputy Spokesperson Choi pointed out, "Even looking solely at the severity of the sentence, the ruling appears politically motivated," and referring to Judge Park's SNS posts, he claimed, "It is impossible to dismiss the suspicion that his political inclinations were reflected in the verdict."

Rep. Jeong Jin-seok of the People Power Party speaking after being sentenced to six months in prison at the first trial sentencing hearing held on the afternoon of the 10th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He emphasized, "Judicial neutrality is the foremost principle," and pointed out, "Regardless of which judge handles a case, the verdict should be based on the Constitution and laws, resulting in consistent outcomes."

He continued, "The politicization of the judiciary became evident under Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo's administration, which has led to public distrust," and stressed, "At this critical moment for the 'judiciary in crisis,' fair and impartial rulings free from political ideology are urgently needed."

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