'Not Guilty for Obstructing Sewol Special Investigation Committee' Former Minister Kim Young-seok Receives Criminal Compensation of Around 50 Million Won

Former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Young-seok, who was acquitted after being indicted on charges of obstructing the activities of the Sewol Ferry Special Investigation Committee, will receive criminal compensation amounting to around 50 million won.

Former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Young-seok. [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 30th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 7 (Presiding Judges Lee Jae-kwon, Song Mi-kyung, Kim Seul-gi) decided on the 4th of last month to pay former Minister Kim a total of approximately 59.64 million won as compensation for detention and expenses. The court posted this information in the official gazette on the same day.

Criminal compensation is a system where the state compensates defendants who have been acquitted for damages caused by detention or trial.

Former Minister Kim was arrested and indicted in February 2018 on charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of rights for allegedly creating a 'Sewol Special Investigation Committee Response Task Force' within the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, preparing plans to reduce the committee’s budget and organization, and ordering the establishment of phased response strategies.

In the first trial, Kim received a sentence of two years in prison with a three-year probation, but in the 2020 appeal trial, he was acquitted.

The Supreme Court finalized the acquittal in April last year, finding no issues with the appellate court’s ruling. Lee Byung-gi, former Chief of Staff at the Blue House, who was indicted alongside Kim, was also acquitted.

Kim Young-seok ran as a People Power Party candidate in the Asan Gap district of Chungnam in the 22nd general election but was defeated.

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