The Supreme Court has upheld the prison sentence for Park Yong-soo, a former aide to Song Young-gil, a candidate for the leadership of the Democratic Party.
According to the legal community on August 6, the Supreme Court's third division, led by Justice Lee Suk-yeon, confirmed the lower court's ruling on July 24, sentencing Park to a total of 1 year and 2 months in prison and a fine of 92.4 million won for violations of the Political Fund Law.
The court found Park guilty of covering the costs of a 92.4 million won opinion poll related to the 2020 primary using funds from the 'Institute for Peace and Livelihood Issues' (Meoksa-yeon), which was affiliated with Song. He was also convicted of preparing false estimates and ordering the replacement of a hard drive amid controversies surrounding the so-called 'Pro-Moon Gate' incident.
However, Park was acquitted of charges related to the distribution of cash envelopes during the 2021 Democratic Party convention, as the evidence from the recorded files that initiated the investigation was deemed inadmissible. Both the first and second trials found him not guilty, and the prosecution's withdrawal of the appeal confirmed his acquittal. Song also received a similar ruling of not guilty in February.
Park, who received a prison sentence in this trial, has previously served as a close aide connecting Song with President Lee Jae-myung. He worked in the Administrative Support Division of Seongnam City during Lee's tenure as mayor from 2014 to 2018, before moving to serve as an aide in Song Young-gil's office, managing the former leader's political activities and campaign finances.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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