Gangwon governor stripped of post

Opposition lawmaker loses seat while GNP’s Park remains intact

By Park Si-soo

Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang-jae was stripped of his post Thursday after the Supreme Court confirmed his conviction on bribery charges.

The top court upheld a six-month jail term suspended for one year and a fine of 114 million won ($102,000) for the “right-hand man” of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.

Lee was found guilty of receiving bribes from a relative of a former presidential secretary and two businessmen, including Park Yeon-cha, who was at the center of a bribery scandal involving Roh, between 2004 and 2008.

Under the Election Law, those who are convicted of receiving illegal “political funds” and fined 1 million won or more forfeit their elected position.

The verdict brought an end to the liberal politician’s governorship for the past eight months, dealing a blow to the largest opposition Democratic Party (DP) that stood behind Lee in the June 2 local elections last year to edge out a contender from the conservative ruling camp.

Despite the leadership vacuum, observers expect that it will have little negative impact on the country’s third consecutive bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, a resort city in the province, with the final vote for the venue by members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) planned in July.

Lee was critical of the court’s decision.

“It’s really a disappointing ruling. I’m sorry for failing to protect Gangwon Province,” he told reporters after the ruling. “I will make every effort to repay the debt owed to Gangwon citizens for the rest of my life.”

Asked whether he will seek a political career, he declined to comment.

DP spokesperson Jeon Hyun-hee also slammed the ruling.

“The bribery charge against Lee was part of the ruling camp’s crackdown on its political foes,” Jeon told reporters at the National Assembly.

Jeon said two promising politicians have been victims of the political crackdown, referring to Lee and Rep. Suh Gap-won, a DP lawmaker who lost his National Assembly seat on the same day following a similar ruling by the top court. Suh was fined 62 million won for receiving illegal political funds from Park.

However, Rep. Park Jin, of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), was ordered to pay an 800,000 won fine on the same charge, an amount just short of costing him his parliamentary seat.

The GNP was cautious in commenting on the issue. GNP spokesman Bae Eun-hee said, “It’s not proper for politicians to comment on the ruling.”

Gangwon Province is now making last-minute efforts to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in its third bid to revitalize its sagging economy as a “Mecca of winter sports in South Korea and Asia.”

“We respect the ruling,” a spokesman for the bid committee told The Korea Times. “The governor’s dismissal was regrettable, but it will have little impact on this pan-government project. Everything is going smoothly.”

The 11-member IOC delegation, led by Sweden’s Gunilla Lindberg, will visit South Korea on Feb. 14 and inspect facilities, accommodation and transportation in the bidding city for a week. The high-profile inspection will be conducted with the governor post unoccupied — the position will be filled in a by-election on April 27.

Bid committee officials say all preparations for the inspection have been done to cement PyeongChang’s leadership in the race.

Lee was indicted for accepting 10 million won in 2004 from a relative of Chung Sang-moon, a former presidential secretary at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, and $120,000 and 20 million won from Park, the former CEO of shoe-making company Taekwang, between 2004 and 2008. He was also accused of accepting $20,000 from former Nonghyup chief Chung Dae-kun.

이광재 도지사직 상실…징역형 확정

'박연차 게이트' 서갑원 당선무효 확정

대법원 3부(주심 박시환 대법관)는 27일 불법 정치자금을 받은 혐의로 기소된 이광재 강원도지사에게 징역 6월에 집행유예 1년, 추징금 1억1천400만원을 선고한 원심을 확정했다.

이로써 이 지사는 벌금 100만원 이상의 형이 확정되면 공무담임권과 피선거권이 제한되는 정치자금법과 공직선거법에 따라 취임 7개월 만에 도지사직에서 물러나게 됐다.

이 지사는 2004년 정상문 전 청와대 총무비서관의 사돈에게서 1천만원을 받고 2004~08년 박연차 전 태광실업 회장과 정대근 전 농협중앙회장에게서 6차례에 걸쳐 총 14만달러와 2천만원을 받는 등 7개 혐의로 기소됐다.

1심 재판부는 이 중 4개를 유죄로, 3개는 무죄로 판단해 징역 8월에 집행유예 2년, 추징금 1억4천800만원을 선고했으며, 2심은 유ㆍ무죄 판단은 유지한 채 "정치자금을 먼저 요구하지 않고 대가성이 없었다"는 이유로 형량을 징역 6월에 집행유예 1년, 추징금 1억1천400만원으로 낮췄다.

이 지사는 재판이 진행 중이던 작년 6월 지방선거에 출마해 당선됐지만, 당선 직후 항소심에서 징역형을 선고받아 7월 초 도지사 취임과 동시에 직무가 정지됐다.

하지만 직무정지 두달 만인 작년 9월 초 금고 이상의 형을 선고받은 지방자치단체장의 직무를 확정 판결 전에 정지시키는 지방자치법 조항에 대한 헌법재판소의 헌법불합치 결정으로 업무에 복귀했다.

한편 대법원 1부(주심 민일영 대법관)는 27일 박연차 전 태광실업 회장에게서 불법 정치자금을 받은 혐의(정치자금법 위반)로 기소된 서갑원 민주당 의원에게 당선무효형에 해당하는 벌금 1200만원 및 추징금 5000만원을 선고한 원심을 확정했다.

서 의원은 2006년 5월 모 골프장에서 5000만원, 2007년 7월 미국 뉴욕의 K음식점에서 2만달러, 2008년 3월 차명계좌로 1000만원을 받는 등 박 전 회장 측으로부터 8000만여원의 불법 정치자금을 받은 혐의로 2009년 6월 기소됐다.

이에 1심은 서 의원이 미국 K음식점에서 2만달러를 받은 혐의에 대해서는 무죄로 판단하고, 징역 6월에 집행유예 1년, 추징금 5000만원을 선고했다.

이후 2심은 1심의 유무죄 부분 판단을 유지하면서도 "공여자인 박 회장에게 직접 돈을 달라고 한 적이 없고, 대가성으로 불법행위를 저지른 점이 보이지 않으며, 동종의 범죄를 저지른 적 없고 국회의원으로 국가에 공헌한 점을 참작했다"며 벌금형으로 형량을 조정했다.

현직 국회의원이 공직선거법 위반이나 불법 정치자금 수수로 벌금 100만원 이상의 형이 확정되거나 그 외의 범죄로 금고형 이상이 선고되면 당선무효가 돼 직을 상실한다.