Ex-speker gets suspended jail term for vote buying

By Yi Whan-woo

Former National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae was given an eight-month prison term, suspended for two years, Monday for buying votes to win the ruling party’s leadership race in 2008.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Park, 74, for offering 3 million won ($2,580) to a then-fellow lawmaker before the chairmanship race.

“The court finds evidence valid, including witness accounts, bank transactions and documents although Park denied the allegations,” the presiding judge said.

The court also sentenced Kim Hyo-jae, 60, then-former senior presidential secretary for political affairs and Park’s key campaign aide, to a six-month jail term, suspended for one year.

The court found that Kim gave 3 million won to Koh Seung-duk, one of Park’s former fellow lawmakers.

Koh disclosed the case in January, claiming that Park distributed cash-stuffed envelopes to fellow ruling party lawmakers and district party council members to win votes and become the head of the then-Grand National Party, the predecessor of Saenuri Party.

“Buying votes for money to win the seat as the head of the ruling party is a serious problem considering that the head has a great influence on government affairs,” the judge said. “And it’s evident that Park’s bank account was used to rig the election while Kim played a key role as an aide during the campaign.”

Park, a six-term lawmaker, won the race and served as chairman before he dropped his affiliation with the party in 2010 to become the National Assembly speaker. He tendered his resignation as the parliamentary speaker in February, holding himself responsible for the widening investigation into the allegations.

Park refrained from directly commenting on the court’s ruling but said he will discuss with his lawyers about possibly lodging an appeal.