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Ex-president Park Geun-hye was sentenced to eight more years on July 20 in prison after being convicted of spending billions of won in “special activity funds” provided by three former directors of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and of meddling in the Saenuri Party’s (now Liberty Korea Party) nomination rules during her term. The above photo shows her first trial at the Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court. Hon. Seong Chang-ho (center) announces the official sentence. (photo pool)
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Ex-president convicted of exploiting “special activity funds” provided by former NIS directors
Former South Korean president Park Geun-hye was sentenced to eight more years in prison after being convicted of spending billions of won in “special activity funds” given her by three former directors of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during her time in office. This past April, a district court sentenced Park to 24 years in prison in connection with the influence-peddling scandal. Provided that the Supreme Court upholds the lower court’s sentence, Park will be facing 32 years in prison. On July 20, Hon. Seong Chang-ho with the 32nd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court convicted Park of inflicting losses to the national treasury (under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes) by soliciting 3.3 billion won (US$2.93 million) in special activity funds from former NIS directors Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byung-kee and Lee Byung-ho and by having them give 150 million won (US$133,110) in special activity funds to her chief of staff Lee Won-jong. Following her conviction, Park was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay 3.3 billion won in restitution. The court also found her guilty of violating the Public Official Election Act by directly organizing opinion polls and surveys before the parliamentary elections in 2016 with the goal of electing her allies and of meddling in the Saenuri Party’s nomination rules and the composition of its nomination management committee, which added two years to her prison sentence. “The defendant should face serious criticism for causing losses to the national treasury by continuing to ask for the payment of funds from the National Intelligence Service. She was overstepping her authority as president, who as head of the executive branch is in charge of the affairs of government,” Seong said during the sentencing, which was broadcast live. Park refused to attend the sentencing. Park was acquitted on the charge of bribery, however. “These payments were made regularly over a long period of time, which sets them apart from the way bribes are normally paid, and there is no evidence to support the claim that the NIS directors needed Park’s help,” the court said. Prior to the sentencing, the court issued a warrant that could have forced Park to attend the hearing against her will, but the warrant was not served. The prosecutors objected to Park’s acquittal on the bribery charge and announced their intention to appeal. In related news, in the final hearing in the appeal of Park’s influence-peddling conviction, which was heard by Hon. Kim Mun-seok with the 4th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court, the public prosecutors requested a sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of 118.5 billion won (US$105,156,900), just as they had in the initial trial. The verdicts in the appeals of Park and her accomplice Choi Soon-sil will be delivered together on Aug. 24. By Kim Min-kyoung, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
