First lady Kim Keon-hee, who was indicted and detained on charges of receiving money and valuables from the Unification Church, was sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison. The sentence is far lighter than the 15 years sought by the special counsel, prompting members of the ruling bloc to say they were "regretful." In the legal community, Presiding Judge Woo In-seong (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 29), who handed down the ruling, is known for conducting trials calmly and meticulously.
The Criminal Agreement Division 27 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong) on the 28th sentenced Kim to 1 year and 8 months in prison and ordered a forfeiture of 12,815,000 won on charges of violating the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act and the Political Funds Act, and of brokered bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Earlier, the special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki sought 15 years in prison, a fine of 2 billion won, and a forfeiture of about 948 million won for Kim. The court found her not guilty of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation charges (violation of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act) and the Myung Tae-gyun polling matter (violation of the Political Funds Act), and recognized only part of the charge that she received high-priced items from the Unification Church along with a request concerning church affairs.
◇ Scrutinizing facts meticulously… Wore sanitary gloves to examine Chanel bag
Woo, the Director General judge, graduated from Chungbuk High School in Cheongju and Seoul National University's law department. After serving as a public-interest judicial officer, he began his judgeship in 2003 at the Changwon District Court.
He later served at the Pyeongtaek branch of the Suwon District Court, the Seoul Southern District Court, as a research judge at the Supreme Court, and the Seoul Central District Court, and in 2015 worked as a Director General judge at the Cheongju District Court. He then served as a Director General judge at the Yeoju branch of the Suwon District Court and at the Seoul Western District Court, and in the 2024 regular judicial personnel appointments was assigned as chief judge of Criminal Division 27 at the Seoul Central District Court, which handles election and corruption cases.
In 2019, when he was at the Yeoju branch of the Suwon District Court, Woo was selected as an outstanding judge in the Seoul Bar Association's evaluation of judges. The evaluation is conducted by attorneys belonging to the Seoul Bar, targeting the judges in charge of cases they handled nationwide during the year. Of 1,047 judges evaluated by five or more attorneys at the time, only seven, including Woo, were selected as outstanding.
Woo, the Director General judge, is known to be calm and quiet. In Kim's trial, he was evaluated as having listened to both sides in a balanced manner rather than revealing his own views.
However, when explanations of facts were insufficient or the tenor of testimony was ambiguous, he posed sharp questions. At the sentencing hearing on the 3rd of last month, Woo repeatedly asked the special counsel about the method used to calculate Kim's profits from matched orders. Although the prosecutor in charge and a special prosecutor explained, he requested, "Submit a written opinion."
At the eighth hearing on Nov. 12 last year, Woo personally conducted an in-person inspection of three Chanel bags, Chanel shoes, and a Graff necklace that Kim was said to have received from the Unification Church. After putting on sanitary gloves, he lifted and examined the bags and shone a cellphone flash to check the insides carefully. After checking wear marks on the outer buckles of the bags and the soles of the shoes, he said, "There are signs of use."
◇ "Defamation of Han Dong-hoon" appeal by Yoo Si-min dismissed, 5 million won fine upheld
In 2014, Woo, the Director General judge, acquitted laid-off workers who were indicted on charges of obstructing official duties for allegedly interfering with the forcible removal of tents set up by laid-off SsangYong Motor workers for a sit-in in front of the Daehanmun Gate at Deoksugung.
He said, "The items at the sit-in site of SsangYong Motor union members cannot be considered dangerous to the extent of harming public safety and order," adding, "The action by the Jung-gu Office of Seoul to forcibly remove such items, which were not subject to removal, is unlawful."
In 2023, Woo, the Director General judge, rendered a ruling allowing the gender listed on the family registry of A, who had not undergone genital removal surgery, to be changed from male to female. A reportedly had received female hormone treatments for eight years and had effectively lived as a woman at school and work. However, A had not undergone male genital removal surgery or surgery to create female genitalia.
He said, "If it is clear that, except for external genitals, in all other respects—particularly in the mental realm—one is evaluated as female, it is proper to evaluate the person as female."
In the same year, Woo, the Director General judge, also sentenced former Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chair Yoo Si-min, who was brought to trial on charges of defaming former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, to a fine. Yoo appealed after receiving a 5 million won fine in the first trial, but Woo dismissed the appeal.