Im Seong-geun, a former commander of the Marine Corps' 1st Division, has had his sentence reduced to a suspended prison term in an appeals court after being convicted of perjury related to allegations of a so-called "rescue lobby." The court found him guilty of only one of three perjury charges, specifically regarding his testimony about his phone's password.
The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 2-3, presided over by judges Kim Young-hyun, Baek Seung-yeop, and Hwang Seung-tae, overturned the original sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison and instead imposed a 1-year prison term with a 2-year suspension.
The court determined that Im's claim during a July 2024 National Assembly hearing that he could not remember the password for his phone was false testimony. Prior to a search by the Corruption Investigation Office, he had set a password of around 20 characters and maintained that he could not recall it despite repeated requests from investigators.
The judges concluded that Im had intentionally set the password in a way that he could remember it while obstructing access to investigators. Given the circumstances of ongoing requests for the password, it was reasonable to assume he had retained that information.
The court stated, "By testifying to false facts contrary to his memory after taking an oath in the National Assembly, he undermined the Assembly's oversight function. This could impact the authority of the Assembly and its legislative activities, necessitating strict punishment."
Conversely, the court acquitted Im of charges related to his testimony that he had never met Lee Jong-ho, the former head of Black Pearl Investment, during an October 2025 National Assembly audit. The judges noted that much of the supporting testimony regarding their acquaintance was based on hearsay from Lee and that there was no evidence of phone calls or messages between them.
The court also ruled that testimony regarding an invitation list for a training event was not guilty. While it acknowledged that Im had directed seven individuals, including former Presidential Security Service employee Song Ho-jong, to be invited, it found that he could not confirm the event's progress or whether invitations were sent.
The judges considered that Im had amended his responses during the hearing and submitted a statement to the Assembly the following day with clarifications. They also noted that the allegations of a rescue lobby had not been substantiated and that the perjury regarding the password did not significantly hinder the investigation. Additionally, they took into account Im's approximately 34 years of military service as a mitigating factor.
In the initial trial, all three perjury charges were found guilty, resulting in a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison. The special investigation team for the deceased Marine, led by Lee Myung-hyun, had sought a 3-year prison term in the appeal, stating that Im continued to deny the charges despite perjury and obstruction of justice allegations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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