▲ Former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae
The appellate court ruling will be delivered today (October 21) for former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae, who received a heavy prison sentence in the first trial on charges of participating in an insurrection related to the December 3 emergency martial law.
Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Yoon Sung-sik) will hold the appellate sentencing at 3:00 p.m. today for former Minister Park, who is charged with playing an important role in an insurrection.
Park was sent to trial on charges of engaging in an important mission of insurrection after the declaration of emergency martial law by convening a meeting of senior Justice Ministry officials, reviewing the dispatch of prosecutors to the Martial Law Command's joint investigation headquarters, checking the capacity of correctional facilities, and ordering employees in charge of immigration bans to report to work.
He is also accused of abusing his authority by checking correctional facility capacities and ordering immigration ban officials to report to work, as well as instructing the Justice Ministry's prosecution division to draft a document containing logic to justify martial law immediately after it was lifted.
The first trial recognized these charges as guilty and handed down a 25-year prison term, which is heavier than the 20-year sentence demanded by the special counsel team.
In the second trial, the special counsel team demanded a 25-year prison sentence, the same as the sentence given in the first trial.
In his final statement, former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae claimed his innocence, stating, "Regarding the emergency martial law, I have never received any instructions from Yoon Suk Yeol, nor have I been involved in any riots, nor have I ever thought of disturbing the national constitution."
At 2:00 p.m., the appellate sentencing for the "forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen" involving former National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong, former National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon, former Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min, and former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul will take place under the oversight of Criminal Division 15-3 of the same court (Presiding Judges Sung Eon-joo, Won Ik-sun, and Lee Hee-joon).
They were sent to trial in February 2023 on charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights under the National Intelligence Service Act, for allegedly ordering the forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen to North Korea in November 2019 despite their expressed intent to defect, after they were identified as individuals who killed 16 fellow crew members, thereby preventing the fishermen from exercising their right to a trial in accordance with domestic laws and procedures.
While acknowledging the illegality, the first trial suspended the prison sentences, taking into account the atrocious nature of the crime and institutional gaps caused by the division of the Koreas.
The court suspended 10-month prison terms for former Director Chung and former Director Suh, and 6-month prison terms for former Chief of Staff Noh and former Minister Kim.
A suspended sentence is a judgment that defers the enforcement of a punishment for a certain period after recognizing the charges, deeming the degree of culpability to be relatively light.
Around the time of the sentencing hearing held on June 17, former President Moon Jae-in submitted a petition to the appellate court asking for the defendants' acquittal.
The appellate ruling for former Special Prosecutor Park Young-soo, who was indicted in the "Daejang-dong 50-won club" scandal, will be delivered at 11:00 a.m. by Criminal Division 15-2 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Lee Hee-joon, Sung Eon-joo, and Won Ik-sun).
The "50 billion won club" suspicion first emerged in 2021 amid allegations that influential figures in the legal and political circles were promised large sums of money by private developer Kim Man-bae's side in return for assisting with the Daejang-dong development project.
Former Special Prosecutor Park is accused of helping Daejang-dong private developers secure a project financing (PF) loan letter of intent worth 150 billion won from Woori Bank between 2014 and 2015, and receiving 500 million won in return while being promised 5 billion won, in violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, Etc. of Specific Economic Crimes.
He was also charged with receiving 300 million won in cash from a Daejang-dong private developer under the pretext of election funds for the president of the Korean Bar Association.
The first trial found him guilty only of the charge of receiving 300 million won, sentencing him to seven years in prison and a fine of 500 million won.
At 2:40 p.m., the first appellate trial for Kim So-young (20), indicted as the perpetrator of the "Gangbuk motel serial murder" case, will be held by Criminal Division 7 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Goo Hoe-keun) on murder and other charges.
Kim was detained and indicted in March on charges of handing drinks laced with benzodiazepine drugs to three men in their 20s between mid-December of last year and February of this year, resulting in the deaths of two men and leaving one unconscious.
She is also accused of injuring three other men using a similar method.
The first trial found her guilty of all charges except for the special injury charge regarding one of the six victims, and sentenced her to life imprisonment.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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