'Fake Intern Registration' Lawmaker Yoon Geon-yeong Fined 5 Million Won in Second Trial... Appeal Dismissed

by Park SeungUk

Published 04 Feb.2025 17:06(KST)

Prosecuted for Fraud... Retains Parliamentary Seat

Yoon Geon-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who was prosecuted for receiving a salary after hiring a fake intern in a National Assembly member's office, was sentenced to a fine again in the second trial.

Yoon Geon-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is asking a question. Photo by Yonhap News.

The Criminal Appeal Division 2-3 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Chief Judge Kim Seong-won) dismissed Yoon's appeal on the 4th, who was accused of fraud, and upheld the original verdict. Yoon did not attend the hearing that day.

Yoon was indicted on charges of registering employee Kim as a fake intern in the office of former lawmaker Baek Won-woo while serving as the planning director of the Korea Future Development Institute (Miraeyeon) in August 2011, and receiving a salary of 5.45 million won from the National Assembly Secretariat for about five months.

The court ruled, "The defendant proposed the internship support with the intention of covering the intern's salary with Miraeyeon's personnel expenses, knowing that Kim had no intention of working as an intern in Baek's office, and considering that the account receiving the intern salary was not Kim's personal account but a nominee account of Miraeyeon, the crime of fraud is established."

It added, "It is difficult to find a motive for Kim to make false statements about the defendant while risking criminal punishment. The investigative agency secured objective evidence such as Kim's emails and account transaction details, and Kim admitted receiving the intern hiring offer from the defendant and receiving the intern salary."

Earlier, the first trial court sentenced Yoon to a fine of 5 million won in January last year. Yoon initially did not accept the summary order for a fine of 5 million won and requested a formal trial. Later, Yoon appealed against the first trial verdict.

Meanwhile, regardless of the court's judgment, Yoon retains his position as a lawmaker. Under current law, a lawmaker loses their seat only if sentenced to imprisonment or a fine of 1 million won or more for violating the Political Funds Act.