Gangwon Gov.-elect faces suspension of his office

Gangwon Gov.-elect Lee Kwang-jae was sentenced to a six-month prison suspended for one year plus forced compensation of 114 million for taking bribe against the political funding law at the appeals court in Seoul Monday, same with the punishment in the first trial.

Consequently, Lee has been in the verge of his new job being suspended upon inaugurated on July 1.

The relevant law stipulates that the deputy should act the public post at local governments if he or she is sentenced to imprisonment without labor or heavier punishment which will be finalized later.

If the Supreme Court upholds a lower court’s decision to fine of 1 million won or more on the defendant, he or she loses the right to run for an election of the public post. As a result, Gangwon Province will have to choose the head in by-election later.

He was released in parole five months in prison after he was indicted for taking bribes of 180 million won from a businessman, Park Yeon-cha, a close friend of the late president Roh Moo-hyun, and 40 million won from former Nonghyup head Cheung Dae-geun between 2004 and 2008.