Jung Jun-ho, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea representing Gwangju Buk-gu Gap, was sentenced to disqualification in the first trial for engaging in illegal election activities and receiving illicit political funds during the 22nd National Assembly elections.
On September 18, the 12th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court, presided over by Judge Jang Woo-seok, imposed a fine of 10 million won and an additional forfeiture of 50 million won on Jung for violating the Public Official Election Act and the Political Fund Act. Two associates from his campaign office, identified as A and B, were fined 7 million won and 4 million won, respectively.
According to the Public Official Election Act and the Political Fund Act, a lawmaker loses their seat if they receive a confirmed sentence of over 1 million won for election-related crimes or illegal political fund receipt.
Jung was accused of receiving 50 million won in political funds from a construction company representative in July 2023, promising to hire the representative's child as an aide if he was elected. Additionally, during the Democratic Party's primary from November 2023 to February 2024, he allegedly directed 12 telemarketers to make over 15,000 promotional calls and send around 40,000 text messages, while providing undisclosed payments to unregistered campaign staff, thus leading illegal primary activities.
The court ruled on one of the key issues regarding whether Jung was aware of the payments made to the telemarketers, stating, 'The evidence submitted by the prosecution does not conclusively prove that Jung was directly aware of the payment of allowances,' and found him not guilty of that specific violation of the Public Official Election Act.
However, the court recognized Jung's guilt for paying B a salary in exchange for campaign work and for illegally receiving 50 million won in political funds in return for hiring the construction representative's child as an aide.
The court emphasized, 'The actions significantly undermine the law's intent to ensure transparency in political funding and prevent corruption, and thus the responsibility and severity of the offenses are not light.' Nevertheless, it noted that Jung's status as a first-time offender and the fact that the promise to hire the child was not fulfilled were considered in determining the sentence.
This trial followed a previous dismissal of charges due to procedural errors by the prosecuting attorney, after which the prosecution refiled the case. Jung's legal team argued that the prosecution was invalid due to the expiration of the statute of limitations caused by a lawsuit filed by an unauthorized party, but the court rejected this claim, stating, 'The errors do not undermine the essential principles of criminal procedure aimed at uncovering the truth and realizing the state's punitive authority.'
Immediately after the ruling, Jung spoke to reporters, stating, 'I will actively contest the legal and factual issues regarding the guilty verdict and the statute of limitations in the appeals process,' and added, 'I apologize to the local residents for causing concern and will ensure that my legislative activities continue without disruption during the appeal.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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