Prosecution Seeks Four-Year Prison Term for Noh Woongrae in Appeal on Bribery and Illegal Political Funds Charges

"Grave Offense with High Potential for Public Condemnation"

The prosecution has requested a prison sentence in the appellate trial for former Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Woong-rae, who was indicted on charges of receiving illegal political funds but was acquitted in the first trial.

The prosecution demanded a four-year prison sentence in the appellate court for former Democratic Party lawmaker No Woongrae, who was indicted on charges of accepting bribes and political funds worth tens of millions of won but was acquitted in the first trial. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On April 8, during the sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appellate Division 5-2 (Presiding Judges Kim Yongjung, Kim Jiseon, and So Byungjin), the prosecution asked the court to sentence former lawmaker Noh to four years in prison for violating the Political Funds Act and other charges. Additionally, the prosecution requested a fine of 200 million won and a forfeiture of 50 million won, which is the same as the sentence sought in the first trial.

For businessman Park, who stood trial alongside Noh on charges of providing money, the prosecution requested a prison sentence of one year and two months, a fine of 10 million won, and a forfeiture of 10 million won.

The prosecution argued that, considering Noh’s standing and influence as a four-term lawmaker for the ruling party, the crime was grave and subject to significant social condemnation. They added, "Nevertheless, former lawmaker Noh continues to deny the charges."

In response, Noh's legal team insisted that the initial court ruling was appropriate and maintained his innocence. The defense emphasized that the legal principles regarding seizure and voluntary submission of electronic information had been correctly applied. In his final statement, Noh stressed, "Having been elected as a lawmaker four times, I have always advocated for policies focused on people's livelihoods and have never had any issues involving money. Aside from handling ordinary civil petitions, I was never in a position to grant favors to anyone." He continued, "As someone who represented the people for 16 years, I am ashamed just to be involved in such an unfortunate matter, but I assert that this case is not a typical criminal case but rather a political case initiated with the aim of eliminating an opposition lawmaker."

Noh was indicted without detention in March 2023 on charges of receiving a total of 60 million won from a businessman between February and December 2020, in exchange for facilitating logistics center permits and providing conveniences related to power plant and solar power projects.

Previously, the first trial court acquitted Noh, ruling that the key evidence submitted by the prosecution had been collected unlawfully. The court found that the evidence originated from a mobile phone seized during a separate investigation and was obtained in violation of due process.

The court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on June 12.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.