Park's two key aides sentenced to prison terms

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sun, September 24, 2023 | 13:39

Politics

Park's two key aides sentenced to prison terms

Posted : 2018-01-23 16:26

Updated : 2018-01-23 18:29

By Lee Kyung-min

An appellate court upheld Tuesday lower court guilty rulings on two key former aides of ousted President Park Geun-hye for creating a blacklist of cultural figures critical of her government but increased their sentences. The Seoul High Court sentenced former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon to four years in prison, up from the three-year sentence handed down by the lower court. Former Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun was put behind bars immediately after being sentenced to two years in prison _ the lower court gave her a suspended sentence. The increase of their sentences reflects new evidence and documents found inside Cheong Wa Dae, according to the court.

They were indicted for abusing their power by creating a list of over 9,000 liberal cultural figures and organizations who were denied state support and subject to punitive measures for criticizing the ex-president or policy initiatives under her administration. Punishments the aides ordered to be carried out included budget reductions or unilateral termination of employment. The appellate court said such punishments were a direct result of government policy directives, the tone of which was set after Park openly criticized the country's cultural sector for being left-leaning. The lower court did not recognize the causation between the punishment and the policy stance, saying the president had the discretion and authority to set policy goals. It also said Park did not issue direct orders to punish but to follow her in changing the country as she deemed ideal.

"Former chief of staff Kim Ki-choon came up with plans to deny dissenting voices within the cultural sector and follow-up measures to carry them out, all of which were submitted to and approved by Park," the court said. Cho, then presidential secretary for political affairs, the court added, was aware of and approved the list used by her subordinates to punish liberal artists, a charge the lower court failed to recognize.

The court recognized that former President Park conspired with her aides, further reducing the prospect of her own acquittal. Under the goal of "making cultural content healthy," Park was also regularly briefed with documents detailing the status of government grants distributed to private and public institutions, and how "problematic" artists and institutions should be denied them, which the court said was done by the tacit approval of government officials who carried out the measures. The documents also discussed the "too liberal" makeup of arts councils, possible ways to replace them and plans to reduce budgets for film productions and festival organizers.

lkm@ktimes.com