Former Samsung Electro-Mechanics Advisor Im Woo-jae Released After Suspended Sentence in Assault Case

Im Woo-jae, a former advisor at Samsung Electro-Mechanics who was indicted for his involvement in the confinement and assault of an elderly woman in her 80s, has received a reduced sentence and been released following his second trial.

Im is the former husband of Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin.

The 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Kim Moo-shin, Lee Woo-hee, and Yoo Dong-gyun) sentenced Im to one year in prison, suspended for two years, today (June 25) on charges including obstruction of justice by deception.

In the first trial, Im was sentenced to one year in prison and taken into court custody.

With the suspended sentence handed down today, Im is undergoing procedures for immediate release.

Im's partner, a shaman identified as A, and the grandson of the victim, identified as B, who were indicted alongside him, were sentenced to five years and two years and four months in prison, respectively.

Their sentences in the first trial were six years and three years, respectively.

The court upheld the first trial's guilty verdict regarding the charge that in April of last year, in Yeoncheon County, A instructed the grandson of B and others to confine and monitor B in her home and assault her.

The court also recognized as fact that A used B's granddaughter to stage a "fake missing person incident" to obstruct a police investigation, and that Im participated in the act by driving them to the location.

However, while the first trial recognized Im as a co-principal offender in A's obstruction of justice by deception, the second trial determined that he should only be held liable for aiding and abetting the crime.

The appellate court explained, "The defendant (Im) was aware, at least implicitly, that A had the intent to obstruct justice by deception," but added, "It was not proven that there was a 'shared intent' to carry out the obstruction of official duties by utilizing the actions of A and others."

The court further stated that the first trial's sentence was too heavy, considering that Im participated in the crime passively and did not directly benefit from it.

Additionally, the court reduced the sentences for A and the grandson, taking into account that A reached a settlement with the victim, B, during the appellate process, and that the grandson admitted to the crime and acted under the psychological control of A.

Im married CEO Lee Boo-jin in August 1999, but the two divorced in 2020 after five years and three months of litigation.

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