Im Tae-hee, the former chief of staff to President Lee Myung-bak, has been fined for perjury related to allegations of union suppression by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during Lee's administration.
According to Yonhap News on July 19, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office filed a request for a summary order to impose a fine of 3 million won ($2,500) against Im on July 3. A summary order is a legal procedure that allows prosecutors to seek a financial penalty for relatively minor offenses without a formal trial.
Im testified as a witness in a trial concerning allegations that the NIS supported the establishment of a third labor union, denying any involvement in requests for or the delivery of special activity funds. This testimony led to his indictment for perjury.
Previously, the prosecution charged former Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Chae-pil and former NIS Director Won Sei-hoon in December 2018 for illegally using special activity funds to support the establishment of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the third labor union. Won was sentenced to nine years in prison and a seven-year disqualification from public office for directing various political operations and misusing NIS funds.
Lee also received a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. Im, along with Won and Lee, received a deferred prosecution decision, while former Labor Ministry policy advisor Lee Dong-geol was cleared of charges due to insufficient evidence.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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