Former Special Prosecutor Park Youngsoo's Sentence Reduced to Fine on Appeal in "Fake Fisheries Businessman Bribery" Case

First Trial: Four-Month Prison Sentence, Suspended for One Year

Former Special Prosecutor Park Youngsoo, who had received a suspended prison sentence in the first trial for accepting money and valuables from a so-called "fake fisheries businessman," had his sentence reduced to a fine on appeal.

Former special prosecutor Youngsoo Park, who was implicated in the so-called "5 billion won club" and brought to trial, attended the continued hearing of the second trial held on the 15th of last month at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On August 27, the Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Kim Mooshin, Lee Woohee, and Yoo Dongkyun) sentenced Park to a fine of 10 million won for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. The court also ordered the forfeiture of 2.5 million won. In the first trial, Park had been sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for one year, and ordered to forfeit 3.36 million won.

Kim, the fake fisheries businessman who provided the bribes, also received a reduced sentence of four months in prison, down from six months in the first trial.

In November 2022, Park was indicted on charges of accepting benefits worth a total of 3.36 million won, including the free use of a Porsche rental car with a rental fee of 2.5 million won provided by Kim in 2020, as well as receiving seafood worth 860,000 won on three occasions.

The first trial court found Park guilty of all charges. However, the appellate court determined that the evidence related to seafood worth 500,000 won had been collected illegally and did not recognize this portion of the charges.

The court stated, "As the Special Prosecutor who investigated the Park Geun-hye administration's abuse of power scandal, Park was regarded as holding a status equivalent to that of a high-ranking public official and should have maintained greater integrity than any other official. Despite this, he accepted money and valuables, and also attempted to evade responsibility by claiming he was not subject to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act."

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Lee, who was indicted along with Park on charges of receiving money and valuables, was found not guilty, the same as in the first trial. Of the three former and current journalists who stood trial alongside them for receiving items such as golf clubs from Kim, two were sentenced to fines ranging from 8 million to 12 million won in both the first and second trials. The remaining individual was acquitted due to evidence being deemed illegally collected.

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