Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Fined 900,000 Won in First Trial for Election Law Violation

Park Gang-su, the mayor of Mapo District in Seoul, who was accused of illegal election campaigning ahead of the local elections, was sentenced to a fine of 900,000 won in the first trial.

On the 22nd, the 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Chief Judge Bae Seong-jung) sentenced Mayor Park, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act, to a fine of 900,000 won. Elected officials are disqualified if they are sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or more for election law violations.

The court explained, "The case is serious as it involved election campaigning prohibited by the Public Official Election Act, which is the foundation of democratic politics," and added, "The fact that the illegal election campaigning occurred close to the election date also worsens the nature of the offense." However, it noted, "Considering that Mayor Park did not wear campaign uniforms or badges indicating he was a candidate and only exchanged greetings, and that the offense is unlikely to have had a significant impact on the election results."

Mayor Park was indicted without detention on charges of conducting election campaigning targeting employees while visiting offices and health centers within Mapo District Office on May 25, a week before the June 1 local elections last year.

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