Kim Gun-hee Denies "Maegwanmaejik" Charges in Appeal; Verdict Set for September 22

The appellate court verdict for Kim Gun-hee, who was sentenced to seven years in prison at the first trial on charges of "maegwanmaejik"—receiving money and valuables in exchange for various requests such as appointments to public office and business favors—is scheduled for September 22.

Kim Gunhee, who has been charged with so-called 'maegwanmaejik' allegations involving receiving various expensive precious metals along with requests for favors and rights, attended the first trial sentencing hearing on charges of mediation under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the 26th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News

The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 15-3 (Presiding Judges Sung Eonju, Won Iksun, and Lee Heejoon) held the first preparatory hearing for the second trial of the case involving the offense of mediating bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes on July 29 and stated, "Unless there are any special circumstances, we plan to conclude pleadings on September 9 and deliver the verdict at 2 p.m. on September 22."

Kim's legal team, in their statement of appeal, again argued as they had at the first trial, insisting on her innocence by claiming that she did not receive any money or valuables, nor were there any concrete requests for preferential treatment.

The court asked, "Is there a need to clarify your position regarding the Supreme Court's final decision in the case involving former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Sangmin?"

To this, Kim's defense said, "In criminal cases, factual findings confirmed by a final verdict cannot be overturned unless there is reasonable evidence. Therefore, we will only request evidence for matters where the Supreme Court's decision could potentially be challenged."

The defense legal team also argued that there is considerable evidence that the painting by artist Lee Ufan is a forgery and said they plan to request an appraisal from the National Forensic Service.

In response, the special prosecutor's team stated that the National Forensic Service did not conduct an appraisal during former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim's case, and based on appraisals from the Korea Art Appraisal Research Center and the Korea Gallery Association, the painting has already been determined to be authentic. The court decided to postpone the request for a forensic appraisal for now and said it would conduct a further review if a formal application stating the specific grounds is submitted.

Kim is accused of receiving a total of around 103.8 million won worth of precious metals from March 15 to May 20, 2022, from Lee Bonggwan, Chairman of Seohui Construction, along with a request for personnel appointment by his eldest son-in-law, former Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Park Seong-geun.

In April of the same year, she was charged with receiving a gold turtle worth 2.65 million won along with a recommendation for official appointment from former National Education Commission Chairperson Lee Baeyong, and in September with accepting a luxury wristwatch worth 39 million won from robot dog entrepreneur Mr. Seo along with a request for support for his business.

Additionally, from June to September 2022, Kim was charged with receiving luxury bags and other items totaling 5.4 million won from Pastor Choi Jaeyoung along with requests related to official duties, and in February 2023, for receiving a painting by Lee Ufan valued at 140 million won from former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Sangmin along with a request for electoral nomination.

On May 26, the first trial court found Kim guilty on all charges and sentenced her to seven years in prison.

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