Park Woo-ryang, the mayor of Sinan County in Jeollanam-do, has been sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation in a case involving allegations of soliciting favors for hiring relatives. Consequently, Mayor Park has been disqualified from his position.
The Supreme Court’s first division, led by Justice Roh Tae-ak, on the 27th dismissed appeals from both Mayor Park’s side and the prosecution concerning the charges of abuse of authority and interference with the exercise of rights, thereby upholding the second trial's ruling. Previously, the second trial had sentenced Mayor Park to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation. According to the National Public Service Act, if an elected public servant is convicted of a criminal offense with a sentence of imprisonment or higher, their election is rendered void, resulting in the loss of their position. A prison sentence is a penalty that confines individuals in prison without labor, which is one level lower than imprisonment.
Mayor Park was indicted for allegedly instructing the hiring of 9 individuals who received solicitations from relatives and others as temporary workers from June 2019 to February 2020. He is also accused of hiding or destroying evidence, such as the resumes of the candidates who received solicitations, during the investigation when the mayor's office was searched.
The first trial recognized most of Mayor Park's charges as guilty and sentenced him to 1 year in prison in May 2022. However, it did not order his detention in court for reasons including the protection of the right to defense. A week after the first trial's ruling, on June 2022, Mayor Park, having received the nomination from the Democratic Party, was elected mayor of Sinan County in the 8th nationwide local elections. Both Mayor Park's side and the prosecution appealed the first trial's ruling.
The second trial sentenced Mayor Park to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation last September. The second trial court stated, “It is recognized that Mayor Park abused his position and authority by issuing directives for temporary hiring,” while also noting, “However, concerning the hiring directives for temporary workers affiliated with a specific division, it cannot be recognized that the public servant who received the directive held a position capable of abusing authority.”
Both Mayor Park's side and the prosecution appealed the second trial's ruling. However, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, finding no issues with the second trial's ruling on that day.