"Six-Year Prison Sentence Sought Again for Former Prosecutor Kim Sangmin in Lee Ufan Painting Nomination Solicitation Appeal"

Special Prosecutor Urges Strict Punishment for "Improper Solicitation and Graft Act Violation"
Kim's Defense: "No Value Because It's a Forgery"

The special prosecutor has requested a six-year prison sentence in the appeals trial for former deputy chief prosecutor Kim Sangmin, who received a suspended sentence in the first trial on charges of delivering an expensive painting to First Lady Kim Keon-hee as a means of influencing party nominations.

Sangmin Kim, former chief prosecutor. Photo by Yonhap News

On April 17, at the sentencing hearing held by the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-2 (Presiding Judges Park Jeongje, Min Dalgi, and Kim Jongwoo), the special prosecutor's team, led by Min Jungki, asked the court to impose six years in prison and a forfeiture of approximately 41.3 million won on Kim for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and the Political Funds Act. This is the same sentence that was sought in the first trial. The sentencing date has been set for May 8.

Kim's defense argued that the painting by artist Lee Ufan in question was a 'forgery' and therefore had no real value, meaning it should not be subject to punishment.

On the other hand, the special prosecutor's team countered, "Even though there is no certificate of authenticity for the painting, it is reasonable to estimate its value as exceeding 1 million won, so it should be considered an item worth more than 1 million won," adding, "It is clear that the defendant violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act."

Previously, the court had only found Kim guilty of violating the Political Funds Act, sentencing him to six months in prison with one year of probation, on the grounds that whether the painting was actually delivered remained unclear.

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