'Hwang Unha and Song Cheolho Acquitted in 2nd Trial on Ulsan Mayor Election Interference Allegations... 1st Trial Overturned'

Hwang Un-ha and Song Cheol-ho, members of the National Assembly from the Joguk Innovation Party and former mayor of Ulsan respectively, who were indicted on suspicion of election interference in the Ulsan mayoral election during the Moon Jae-in administration, were acquitted in the appellate court.

On the 4th, at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, former Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho (left), who was acquitted in the second trial verdict of the 'Ulsan mayoral election interference suspicion' case involving the Moon Jae-in administration's Blue House, and Hwang Un-ha, floor leader of the Jo-guk Innovation Party, are leaving the courtroom. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 4th, the Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Seol Beom-sik, Lee Sang-ju, and Lee Won-seok) overturned the original sentence that sentenced Hwang and Song to three years in prison for violating the Public Official Election Act and other charges, and acquitted them.

Baek Won-woo, former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, and Park Hyung-cheol, former Anti-Corruption Secretary, who were accused of involvement in a covert investigation, were also acquitted. Han Byung-do, a Democratic Party member who was indicted on suspicion of persuading Lim Dong-ho, a former Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party and a competitor in the Ulsan mayoral primary, not to run, was acquitted as in the first trial.

However, Song Byung-gi, former Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Ulsan City, who was accused of receiving internal Ulsan City documents and creating an intelligence report on Kim Gi-hyeon, a member of the People Power Party (then mayor of Ulsan), was sentenced to a total of 1 year and 2 months in prison?8 months for violating the election law and 6 months for obstruction of official duties by deception?with a 2-year suspended sentence. Public officials from Ulsan City Hall who were indicted for leaking Ulsan City Hall documents were also fined between 1 million and 7 million KRW.

The suspicion of interference in the Ulsan mayoral election began with allegations that before the 2018 local elections, the Blue House systematically intervened to help the election of Song, a longtime friend of former President Moon Jae-in. The prosecution reported that Moon Mo, a former administrative officer at the Blue House's Civil Affairs Office, created a criminal intelligence report based on information from Song Byung-gi, former Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Ulsan City, and that this intelligence report was delivered to Hwang through former secretaries Baek and Park, leading to a 'covert investigation.' They indicted them in January 2020.

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