A fine has been finalized for former Busan Saha District Chief Lee Gap-jun, who was brought to trial on charges of campaigning while serving as an incumbent district chief by asking for support for a specific preliminary candidate during the 22nd general election held in April 2024.
The Supreme Court's First Division (presiding Justice Seo Kyung-hwan) on the 3rd upheld the lower court ruling that fined the former district chief 5 million won after he was indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act.
Ahead of the 22nd general election, the former district chief was accused of calling officials from organizations supported by Busan's Saha District and telling them, in effect, to help then-People Power Party preliminary candidate Lee Sung-kwon. Under the Public Official Election Act, public officials, who must maintain political neutrality, cannot engage in electioneering. They also must not conduct electioneering by using official acts.
In the first trial, the former district chief was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. On appeal, the sentence was reduced to a fine of 5 million won. The appellate court found him guilty for engaging in electioneering as a public official but acquitted him of using his position as district chief to conduct electioneering, citing insufficient proof. It said the requests were largely personal favors based on private acquaintance.
If an elected public official is convicted of an election law violation in their own election and receives a finalized sentence of a fine of 1 million won or more, the election is invalidated. If they violate the election law in another person's election and receive a finalized sentence of a fine of 1 million won or more, they lose only their position, not the election result.
The former district chief did not run in the June 3 local elections and finished the term at the end of June.