▲ People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong
People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong has lost his parliamentary seat after the Supreme Court upheld a prison sentence for accepting 100 million won in illegal political funds from the Unification Church.
The Second Division of the Supreme Court (Justice Eom Sang-pil presiding) finalized the lower court's ruling on July 16, sentencing Kwon to two years in prison and ordering a forfeiture of 100 million won for violating the Political Funds Act.
Under the Public Official Election Act and the National Assembly Act, a lawmaker loses their seat if they receive a final sentence of a fine of 1 million won or more for the illegal receipt of political funds.
Kwon was indicted by a special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki in October of last year on charges of receiving 100 million won from Yoon Young-ho, former secretary-general of the Unification Church, on January 5, 2022, ahead of the 20th presidential election, in exchange for requests such as government support for the religious group under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
The first and second trials found the charges guilty and sentenced Kwon to two years in prison and a forfeiture of 100 million won.
Although Kwon argued that he had met with Yoon for a meal but did not receive any money, the courts in the first and second trials determined that the charges were proven based on evidence submitted by the special counsel team.
Key evidence included a note in Yoon's diary that read, "Lunch with Kwon Seong-dong - support for one big one" (a slang term for 100 million won), and a message Yoon sent to Kwon after their meal stating, "What I gave you today is small, but I hope you use it effectively for the presidential candidate."
The first and second courts also rejected Kwon's claims that the case was not subject to investigation under the special counsel act regarding Kim Keon-hee and that key evidence had been collected and used illegally.
Kwon's argument that Yoon had framed him to escape his own embezzlement charges was also dismissed.
The Supreme Court also found no errors in these judgments and dismissed the appeal today.
The Supreme Court stated, "There were no errors in the lower court's judgment regarding the relevance to search and seizure warrants, the exclusionary rule for illegally obtained evidence, or the guarantee of the right to cross-examination that would have affected the verdict."
Following the ruling, Kwon stated, "I cannot hide my deep regret regarding the factual findings and application of the law, but I will humbly accept the final judgment of the judiciary," adding, "I hope that this political retaliation ends with me."
Previously, Yoon had his conviction finalized by the Supreme Court on July 9 for charges of giving 100 million won to Kwon, as well as providing approximately 80 million won in cash and gifts to First Lady Kim Keon-hee through a person known as Jeon Seong-bae, also referred to as Geonjin Beopsa.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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