Former Seoul City Council Members Sentenced to Prison in Second Trial for Subway Mall Bribery

Former Seoul Metropolitan Council members have been sentenced to prison in their second trial for accepting and offering bribes in exchange for requests to extend operating rights for shops at major subway stations in Seoul.

The 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Kim Moo-shin, Lee Woo-hee, and Yoo Dong-gyun) recently sentenced former Seoul City Council member A to three years in prison and a fine of 50 million won, and former member B to four years in prison and a fine of 155 million won.

According to the investigation, between July 2019 and January 2020, B received a total of 155 million won from representatives of merchant associations at Yeongdeungpo Station, Express Bus Terminal Station, and Gangnam Station subway malls, with the request to help extend their operating rights. B then delivered 34 million won of that amount to A, who was a sitting city council member at the time.

It was found that B demanded the money from the merchant association representatives by saying, "I have served as a Seoul City Council member for a long time, so I know council members and public officials and can connect you," and "To extend the contract, the city council needs to hold a public hearing and amend the ordinance. That requires money."

However, when the management and operation contract was not extended as promised, the representative of the Gangnam Station subway mall merchant association filed a complaint against B and others.

During the first trial, A and B denied the charges, claiming, "While money was exchanged, it was all for research service fees."

However, the court determined that the testimony of the merchant association representative, who confessed to providing the money, was highly credible. The court also noted that B had secretly delivered large sums of cash to A in envelopes, concluding that the payments could not be considered compensation for research services.

Regarding A, the court stated, "Despite being in the position of a Seoul City Council member at the time, which requires a high level of fairness and integrity, the defendant committed the crime, severely damaging public trust in the fair and honest execution of duties by public officials."

Regarding B, the court criticized the defendant, saying, "The culpability is heavy as the defendant actively provided money to A to make an illicit request, and the defendant continues to deny the quid pro quo nature of the money with implausible excuses."

Although A maintained the argument in the second trial that the money was for research services rather than a bribe, the court rejected the claim again and upheld the guilty verdict.

While B admitted to all charges during the second trial, the defendant appealed for a lighter sentence, arguing that they "did not know that receiving the money was illegal."

The court rejected this plea, stating, "Considering that the defendant was a former public official who could have fully recognized the importance of integrity in their duties, such an excuse only increases the grounds for criticism."

Both A and B have appealed the second trial ruling to the Supreme Court.

(Photo: Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.