Chief Judge Receiving 'Jjaktung' Golf Clubs from Dealer Acquitted... "Insufficient Evidence of Solicitation"

A sitting chief judge who was prosecuted on charges of receiving 'counterfeit' golf clubs from a businessman he had known for over 10 years was acquitted.

The Criminal Division 14 of Incheon District Court (Chief Judge Ryu Kyung-jin) ruled on the 26th in a sentencing hearing that Chief Judge A (54), who was indicted without detention on charges of bribery mediation and violation of the Information and Communications Network Act, was not guilty. The court also acquitted two others, including B (54), a supermarket distributor who was charged with bribery for giving the counterfeit golf clubs to Chief Judge A.

Chief Judge A was indicted on charges of receiving goods worth about 770,000 won, including a counterfeit golf club set valued at 520,000 won and a fruit box worth 250,000 won, from B, whom he met through a hometown friend, in the parking lot of a food material supermarket in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, in February 2019. He was also accused of accessing the court’s case search system in 2018 at B’s request to find out whether B would be detained in court on the sentencing day of a fraud case.

The court stated, "It is clear that B underwent several civil and criminal trials after Chief Judge A received the golf clubs," and added, "Although B might have had vague expectations after giving the golf clubs to Chief Judge A, the judge did not hold a position that could influence investigations or trials."

It continued, "There is no evidence that Chief Judge A contacted the trial court handling B’s cases or obtained prior knowledge of the sentencing," and explained the reason for acquittal: "There is insufficient evidence to conclude that B gave the golf clubs to Chief Judge A as a bribe request or that Chief Judge A accepted them with such intent."

Regarding the charge that Chief Judge A accessed the case search system at B’s request, the court judged, "There are no regulations or legal restrictions prohibiting private use of this system," and "The amount of information provided is no different compared to searches conducted by outsiders."

Meanwhile, although the golf clubs initially received by Chief Judge A were reported to be luxury brand items worth tens of millions of won, appraisal results determined them to be 'counterfeit.' In June 2021, the Supreme Court’s Judicial Disciplinary Committee imposed a three-month pay reduction and a disciplinary fine of about one million won on Chief Judge A for violating the duty to maintain dignity.

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