A former Sejong City councilor, Sang Byeong-heon, who was convicted of sexually assaulting male colleagues, faced a two-year prison sentence requested by prosecutors during his appeal hearing.
On September 16, the Daejeon District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 5-2, presided over by Judge Ahn Yeong-hwa, held a hearing to conclude the appeal regarding Sang's sexual assault charges. The prosecution requested the same two-year sentence as in the first trial.
Sang was accused of groping a male councilor, identified as A, from his own party, and kissing another male councilor, B, from the opposition People Power Party, during a dinner and drinking session in August 2022 in Yeouido, Seoul.
During the investigation, Sang also filed a counter-complaint against A for sexual assault. However, this claim was deemed false, leading to additional charges of false accusation against him.
In the first trial, prosecutors sought a two-year prison sentence for Sang. The court acknowledged the sexual assault charges and sentenced him to 18 months in prison, along with a requirement to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs.
However, the court did not place Sang in custody, citing no risk of evidence tampering or flight, and the need to provide him an opportunity to compensate the victims.
Following the initiation of expulsion procedures from the Sejong City Council, Sang resigned from his position. He had previously been expelled by the Democratic Party's Sejong City chapter.
The appeal ruling is scheduled for November 25, with the final sentence to be determined by the court's decision.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.