Im Sung-geun, a key figure in the lobbying scandal related to the death of Corporal Cha, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for perjury in the National Assembly.
On June 11, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22, presided over by Judge Jo Hyung-woo, found Im guilty of violating the National Assembly Act regarding testimony and evidence. The special investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Lee Myung-hyun had previously sought a three-year prison term for Im.
The lobbying scandal centers on allegations that Im, using his connections with Lee Jong-ho, a close associate of First Lady Kim Geon-hee, attempted to be excluded from the list of suspects in the case. Throughout the proceedings, Im maintained that he did not know Lee. Consequently, the trial's main issue was whether Im had met with Kim and Lee.
Ultimately, the court accepted the testimony of actor Park Sung-woong, who stated he had dined and socialized with Im and Lee at a bar in Gangnam, Seoul, in 2022, as evidence leading to the guilty verdict.
The court noted, "Park had no motive to provide false testimony, and his account of the seating arrangement matched perfectly with statements from other witnesses. Therefore, it can be concluded that Im maintained contact with Lee after that social gathering."
The court also concluded that Im's claim of forgetting his phone password during investigations by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) and the National Assembly's audit was a false statement intended to obstruct justice.
During a National Assembly audit in October of last year, when asked about his phone password, Im replied, "I don't remember." However, just three days later, amid speculation about a possible arrest warrant, he suddenly claimed, "By a miracle from God, I remembered the password," and submitted his phone.
The court criticized this, stating, "The password included the English spelling for 'Marine Corps' and part of his spouse's resident registration number, which would be very familiar to the defendant. It is implausible that he suddenly remembered the password just three days after the judicial pressure of an arrest warrant was imminent."
Additionally, the court recognized Im's statement during a July 2024 National Assembly hearing regarding the invitation list for the Marine Corps training event as perjury. The court found that despite having invited Song, another figure implicated in the lobbying scandal, Im misrepresented the facts as if the invitation had come from the Marine Corps Command.
The court emphasized, "The defendant had a legal and moral obligation to answer truthfully during the National Assembly's investigations and hearings to alleviate public suspicion. Nevertheless, he continued to propagate his false claims even after the trial concluded, significantly undermining public trust."
The court also referenced Im's attempts to contact Park after discovering his phone number during the trial, sending multiple messages asking, 'Are you sure you saw me?' This behavior was deemed inappropriate pressure on the judicial process and witnesses, contributing to the severity of his sentence.
Following the verdict, Im expressed his inability to accept the ruling and announced plans to appeal.
Im's attorney, Lee Jong-geun, criticized the court for dismissing all arguments from the defense without providing a clear and reasonable explanation for the rejection, claiming that the judgment lacked sufficient examination and consideration of the facts.
Earlier, Im was also indicted on charges of professional negligence leading to death in connection with the Corporal Cha case and received a three-year prison sentence in the first trial, which is currently under appeal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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