Former MBC President Choi Seung-ho, who was fined in the first trial over the so-called 'MBC blacklist' allegations—accused of giving personnel disadvantages to reporters who did not participate in the 2017 strike—has had his fines upheld by the appellate court.

Today (June 25), the Criminal Appeals Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Court sentenced Choi to a fine of 8 million won for violating the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.

Park Seong-je, who was the head of the news center at the time, and a former news director surnamed Jeong, who were indicted alongside Choi, were each fined 6 million won, while a former news bureau chief surnamed Han was fined 5 million won.

These sentences are identical to those handed down in the first trial.

The court stated, "The judgment of the first trial, which found that the defendants committed unfair labor practices by excluding members of the third labor union from reporting duties through personnel reassignments and by dominating or intervening in the operation of the third labor union, is justified."

Although the court overturned the original verdict ex officio, citing errors in the application of some legal principles, it maintained the guilty verdict and the sentencing, imposing the same fines as the first trial.

Choi and the three others were indicted on charges of assigning reporting duties exclusively to reporters belonging to the first labor union—the MBC branch of the National Union of Mediaworkers under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions—which participated in the 2017 strike, while excluding reporters belonging to the third labor union from such duties.

(Photo: Yonhap News)