Changwon Mayor Public Official Election Act Trial 'One More Time'... What Will the First Trial Verdict Be?

A trial related to allegations of violation of the Public Official Election Act against Hong Nampyo, the mayor of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, whose first trial sentencing is scheduled for February 6, will be held once more before the sentencing.

According to the legal community on the 22nd, the court accepted the prosecution's request to resume arguments submitted on the 15th and decided to hold an additional trial on February 1.

The court had planned to conclude the first trial next month after the closing arguments on the 8th, but recently Jang Donghwa, the head of the Changwon Industrial Promotion Agency, submitted a statement verifying facts related to the trial. Jang, who ran as a candidate for Changwon mayor in last year's nationwide simultaneous local elections, was selected as a witness related to the case during the trial but refused to appear.

Subsequently, on the 9th, he submitted a resignation letter claiming that Changwon City unjustly interfered with the operation of the Changwon Industrial Promotion Agency, thereby undermining the agency's independence, and the next day submitted the statement verifying facts.

It is known that Jang's statement contains content suggesting that Mr. A, who claimed to have been promised a public office by Mayor Hong in exchange for joining the election camp, was at that time a "person intending to become a candidate."

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, is heading to the courtroom at Changwon District Court to make his final statement.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

One of the defendants, Mr. A's side, claimed that Mr. A intended to run in last year's local election but was promised a public office on the condition of joining Mayor Hong's camp by Mayor Hong and Mr. B, the head of the overall election countermeasures headquarters of Hong's camp, but the promise was not kept, and thus reported the case.

Mayor Hong's side countered that Mr. A was not a "person intending to become a candidate," that Mayor Hong did not promise a position to anyone, and that he never instructed a third party to propose a public office to others nor tolerated a third party's promise of a public office.

Mr. B's side responded that Mr. A did not even disclose his intention to run to close acquaintances, ceased broadcasting appearances 90 days before the election, did not recruit responsible party members, nor engaged in any personal promotion, so it was impossible to know whether he was a "person intending to become a candidate."

They also stated that after Mayor Hong was elected, they vaguely thought that if they recommended Mr. A, he might get a special advisor position, and thus promised Mr. A a special advisor position.

In the closing arguments, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Mayor Hong to eight months in prison, Mr. A to four months in prison, and Mr. B to eight months in prison.

It is expected that legal disputes regarding the statement will continue at the trial scheduled for the 1st of next month.

This case trial began with the prosecution's indictment in November 2022, with the first trial held in January last year, and has been ongoing since then.

Previously, the court had planned to deliver the sentencing before the court personnel reshuffle scheduled for mid-February this year, but with the additional trial, attention is focused on whether the first trial sentencing will proceed as scheduled.

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