The Supreme Court is set to deliver its ruling this week on Kim Geon-hee, who faces charges related to stock manipulation involving Deutsche Motors. A verdict is also anticipated in the property division case between Choi Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, and Noh So-young, director of the Art Center Nabi.
According to legal sources on the 19th, the Supreme Court's second division, led by Justice Park Young-jae, will announce its decision on Kim's case concerning violations of the Capital Markets Act on the afternoon of the 24th.
Kim is accused of receiving a 62 million won diamond necklace and two Chanel bags worth 20 million won from former Unification Church leader Yoon Young-ho, through Jeon Seong-bae, from April to July 2022, in exchange for soliciting support for the church.
Additionally, from October 2010 to December 2012, she allegedly participated in stock manipulation at Deutsche Motors, gaining 810 million won in illicit profits. Between June 2021 and March 2022, she is also accused of colluding with former President Yoon Suk-yeol to receive polling results worth 27 million won from political broker Myung Tae-kyun.
In the first trial, the court found her guilty of some charges related to the Unification Church and sentenced her to 1 year and 8 months in prison. However, the appeals court overturned this, ruling all charges as guilty and sentencing her to 4 years in prison along with a fine of 50 million won. The polling charge was deemed not guilty, consistent with the first trial.
The Supreme Court was initially scheduled to announce its ruling on the 16th. However, the special prosecutor's team for Kim requested a delay to review the ruling from the Seoul Central District Court, which found Yoon guilty as an accomplice in the polling case. Consequently, the ruling was postponed to the 24th.
On the same day, the Seoul High Court's Family Division will also hold a ruling on the property division case between Choi and Noh.
Choi and Noh, who married in September 1988 and have three children, have been embroiled in a legal battle for nine years since Choi filed for divorce in 2017.
In December 2022, the first trial court ordered Choi to pay Noh 100 million won in alimony and 66.5 billion won in property division.
The appeals court, in May 2024, increased the alimony to 2 billion won and the property division amount to 1.38 trillion won, determining that Choi's shares in SK Corporation were subject to division due to contributions from former President Roh Tae-woo's slush fund of 30 billion won and Noh's efforts.
The Supreme Court ruled last October that even if Roh's slush fund was deemed illegal and flowed into SK, it could not be considered a contribution from Noh in the property division, sending the case back for reconsideration.
The retrial court held its first hearing on January 9 but referred the case for mediation after three months. However, mediation failed due to unresolved key issues, such as whether SK shares were subject to property division.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22 will deliver a verdict on Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, on the 22nd regarding allegations of violating political funding laws.
Oh is accused of receiving polling results from Myung on ten occasions before the April 7, 2021, Seoul mayoral by-election and having businessman Kim Han-jeong pay 33 million won on his behalf. He was indicted in December of last year.
The special prosecutor for Kim Geon-hee sought a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison and a fine of 33 million won, stating that as a prominent politician, he should have adhered to political funding laws but allowed polling costs to be paid by a third party.
Oh has denied the allegations, calling the prosecution's case excessive.
Kim is accused of receiving a 62 million won diamond necklace and two Chanel bags worth 20 million won from former Unification Church leader Yoon Young-ho, through Jeon Seong-bae, from April to July 2022, in exchange for soliciting support for the church.
Additionally, from October 2010 to December 2012, she allegedly participated in stock manipulation at Deutsche Motors, gaining 810 million won in illicit profits. Between June 2021 and March 2022, she is also accused of colluding with former President Yoon Suk-yeol to receive polling results worth 27 million won from political broker Myung Tae-kyun.
In the first trial, the court found her guilty of some charges related to the Unification Church and sentenced her to 1 year and 8 months in prison. However, the appeals court overturned this, ruling all charges as guilty and sentencing her to 4 years in prison along with a fine of 50 million won. The polling charge was deemed not guilty, consistent with the first trial.
The Supreme Court was initially scheduled to announce its ruling on the 16th. However, the special prosecutor's team for Kim requested a delay to review the ruling from the Seoul Central District Court, which found Yoon guilty as an accomplice in the polling case. Consequently, the ruling was postponed to the 24th.
On the same day, the Seoul High Court's Family Division will also hold a ruling on the property division case between Choi and Noh.
Choi and Noh, who married in September 1988 and have three children, have been embroiled in a legal battle for nine years since Choi filed for divorce in 2017.
In December 2022, the first trial court ordered Choi to pay Noh 100 million won in alimony and 66.5 billion won in property division.
The appeals court, in May 2024, increased the alimony to 2 billion won and the property division amount to 1.38 trillion won, determining that Choi's shares in SK Corporation were subject to division due to contributions from former President Roh Tae-woo's slush fund of 30 billion won and Noh's efforts.
The Supreme Court ruled last October that even if Roh's slush fund was deemed illegal and flowed into SK, it could not be considered a contribution from Noh in the property division, sending the case back for reconsideration.
The retrial court held its first hearing on January 9 but referred the case for mediation after three months. However, mediation failed due to unresolved key issues, such as whether SK shares were subject to property division.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22 will deliver a verdict on Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, on the 22nd regarding allegations of violating political funding laws.
Oh is accused of receiving polling results from Myung on ten occasions before the April 7, 2021, Seoul mayoral by-election and having businessman Kim Han-jeong pay 33 million won on his behalf. He was indicted in December of last year.
The special prosecutor for Kim Geon-hee sought a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison and a fine of 33 million won, stating that as a prominent politician, he should have adhered to political funding laws but allowed polling costs to be paid by a third party.
Oh has denied the allegations, calling the prosecution's case excessive.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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