Park Yong-su, 57, who was an aide to former Democratic Party of Korea leader Song Young-gil, received a finalized sentence of one year and two months in prison for taking illegal political funds and distributing "cash envelopes" during the 2021 party convention.
The Supreme Court's Third Division (presiding Justice Lee Suk-yeon) said on the 6th that on Jun. 24 it finalized the lower court ruling that sentenced Park, who was indicted on charges including violating the Political Funds Act, to one year and two months in prison.
Park was indicted on charges of violating the Political Parties Act for conspiring with Kang Rae-gu, former auditor of the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water), and Lee Jeong-geun, former Democratic Party of Korea deputy secretary-general, among others, to deliver "cash envelopes" totaling 67.5 million won to ensure the election of former leader Song, who ran in the party leader race at the Democratic Party of Korea convention in May 2021.
He was also indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act for asking, twice during the campaign period, that 92.4 million won in opinion poll expenses be paid on behalf of "Research Institute on Peace and Livelihood Issues (Meoksa Institute)," an outside support group for former leader Song.
In addition, he was charged with violating the Act on Regulation and Punishment of Criminal Proceeds Concealment for writing a false estimate to hide the proxy payment, and with instigating the destruction of evidence for having the Meoksa Institute's office manager, a person surnamed Kim, replace all computer hard drives.
In the first trial, the court found Park guilty of requesting proxy payment of opinion poll expenses, drafting a false estimate, and instigating destruction of evidence. Park was sentenced to eight months in prison for violating the Political Funds Act and four months for the remaining charges, totaling one year and two months in prison, and was also ordered to forfeit 92.4 million won.
However, in the first trial, he was acquitted of violating the Political Parties Act in relation to the distribution of cash envelopes. The first-trial court determined that the cellphone recording file of former deputy secretary-general Lee, which sparked the investigation, was unlawfully collected by prosecutors and did not recognize its admissibility as evidence.
In the second trial, the court dismissed both Park's and the prosecution's appeals and upheld the lower court's ruling. The appellate court, like the first-trial court, did not recognize the evidentiary admissibility of former deputy secretary-general Lee's cellphone recording file.
The Supreme Court dismissed Park's appeal, finding that the lower court did not misunderstand the legal principles regarding illegally obtained evidence and the admissibility of derivative evidence.
Earlier, former leader Song was also indicted on charges of taking illegal political funds in the name of donations through the Meoksa Institute and distributing cash envelopes at the party convention, and was sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial.
In the second trial in Feb. this year, former leader Song was acquitted on all counts. With the evidentiary admissibility of former deputy secretary-general Lee's cellphone recording file not recognized, he was acquitted of the charges related to cash envelopes. The items seized regarding the alleged receipt of political funds through the Meoksa Institute were also deemed illegally collected evidence. The prosecution waived its appeal, finalizing the verdict.
Former leader Song ran in the Democratic Party of Korea's Aug. 17 convention party leader election.