"Just Stuck 50,000 Won in a Pig's Head"...Ruling Party Lawmaker Faces Trial, Why?

People Power Party's Gu Ja-geun Faces Setback After Donating Money
Donation Activity at Gumi Marathon Club Event

Gu Ja-geun, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party (Gumi), was sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating election laws after sticking money into a pig's head on a ceremonial table at a local marathon club event.

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According to political circles and prosecutors on the 14th, the Gumi Police Station in Gyeongbuk sent Gu Ja-geun (Gumi City Gap, Gyeongbuk) to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating election laws.

Gu is accused of attending a marathon club event in Gumi in January and inserting a 50,000 won bill into a pig's head as a donation act.

After receiving a complaint in July, the police initially issued no-charge opinions twice, stating that it did not violate social norms. However, after comprehensively reviewing various precedents, the police changed their final decision to send the case to prosecution without detention, judging that the charges were valid.

Gu's side stated that since the police had previously submitted a no-charge opinion, they intend to actively provide explanations.

On January 1st, Ku Ja-geun, a member of the People Power Party, bows at the marathon club's starting point event in Gumi-si, Gyeongbuk.
[Photo by KBS]

Meanwhile, under the current Public Official Election Act, cash donations are strictly prohibited. This is because donation acts may contribute to building support bases for elected positions or be linked to bribery. The courts are also tending to interpret this strictly.

Previously, in 2012, Assemblyman A from Yangju City Council in Gyeonggi Province attended a 'Safety Prayer Ceremony for Flood Recovery Projects' and inserted a 50,000 won bill into a pig's head, for which he was sentenced to a fine of 800,000 won in the first trial, a penalty equivalent to losing his assembly seat.

B, who was the head of a Nonghyup cooperative in Gwangsan District, Gwangju, was also prosecuted and fined 500,000 won for donation acts at a New Year's sunrise event hosted by the Nonghyup mountain club on January 1, 2020.

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