‘Election Law Violation Charges’ Hong Nampyo, Changwon Mayor, Reveals ‘Confidence’ in Final Statement

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, expressed his “integrity” during the final trial of the first instance related to allegations of violating the Public Official Election Act.

Mayor Hong was prosecuted on charges of conspiring with Mr. A, who was the head of the overall election countermeasures headquarters during last year’s nationwide simultaneous local elections, to promise a public office to Mr. B, who was attempting to run in the People Power Party’s Changwon mayoral primary, in exchange for joining the campaign.

In the final trial held on the 8th at Changwon District Court Criminal Division 4 (Presiding Judge Jang Yujin), he denied all charges, stating, “I have never proposed or promised a public office to anyone during the election process.”

He said, “Based on the belief that personnel is everything, I take time to observe people, verify their capabilities, and judge whether they fit well with those I will work with before making personnel decisions.”

“Among the preliminary candidates who were eliminated in the first nomination screening, a person with quite high capabilities requested the position of chairman of the Facilities Management Corporation on the condition of joining the campaign, but I refused on the spot,” he said. “There is no reason to promise a public office to Mr. B, who has less experience, minimal influence, and unverified capabilities compared to that person.”

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, is leaving the courtroom building of Changwon District Court after the final trial of the first instance.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

He continued, “I also believe that work done by breaking the law is not sustainable,” and added, “I never had the slightest thought of winning the election by violating the Public Official Election Act.”

“During the election, I constantly checked with my aides to ensure that no laws were violated and remained vigilant against anyone approaching the campaign with impure intentions,” he emphasized.

Mayor Hong stated, “Before the election, I met Mr. B twice along with others, but those were simply introductions or occasions to thank him for joining the campaign.” He added, “After winning, Mr. B requested positions such as chairman of the Facilities Management Corporation and youth special advisor, but I rejected all, telling him to apply through the official recruitment process if he was qualified.”

“I have never instructed a third party to propose a public office to others, nor tolerated a third party’s promise of public office, and I will not do so in the future,” he stressed.

Mr. A said, “Before the candidate primary, when I introduced Mr. B to Mayor Hong’s background and said he was running for Changwon mayor, Mr. B did not say he would run.” He added, “He did not disclose his intention to run even to close associates and showed no behavior indicating candidacy, such as SNS promotion, stopping broadcast appearances, or recruiting responsible party members.”

“It is unreasonable to call the proposal to join the campaign for someone who was not preparing for the election a candidate bribery,” he said. “Because he was not recognized as a candidate at all, I asked him to join the campaign.”

“At that time, Mayor Hong said he could not promise any position to anyone, and Mr. B requested the deputy mayor position,” he claimed. “When Mayor Hong was elected, Mr. A said he vaguely thought that if he recommended Mr. B, he could get a special advisor position, so he promised Mr. B that he would be responsible for the special advisor position.”

Mr. B bowed his head, saying, “Everything is my fault,” and apologized, “I am sorry for causing social controversy and harming everyone around me.”

He testified, “Over the past two years, I have suffered various slanders and painfully felt them repeated in the courtroom.”

Earlier, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Mayor Hong and Mr. A to eight months in prison each, and Mr. B to four months in prison.

The first-instance verdict for these individuals is scheduled to be delivered at 2 p.m. on February 6.

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