What did the Seoul High Court rule about Park Young-soo’s bribery charges and sentence?

The court found Park guilty of accepting 200 million won from a private developer for campaign funds and reduced his prison term from seven years to six. It also imposed a 200 million won fine and ordered him to forfeit 200 million won.

Why did the appellate court reduce the amount Park Young-soo was convicted of accepting?

The lower court had found Park accepted 300 million won, but the appellate court said inconsistencies in the developer’s testimony undermined the remaining 100 million won of that amount. It found Park guilty of accepting 200 million won for campaign funds in his bid to lead the Korean Bar Association.

Appeals court reduces ex-special counsel's sentence to 6 years in bribery case

Q: What happened to the allegations that Park Young-soo belonged to the Daejang-dong 5 billion-won club?

The Seoul High Court upheld the lower court’s acquittal and dismissal of the other charges against Park, including the allegation that he belonged to the so-called 5 billion-won club. The alleged club members were said to have been promised or received 5 billion won each from Hwacheon Daeyu, the project’s investor.

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Summary

The Seoul High Court reduced former special counsel Park Young-soo’s prison sentence to six years on Wednesday in Seoul, finding him guilty of accepting 200 million won from a private developer for campaign funds. The court also fined him 200 million won and ordered him to forfeit the same amount. It upheld his acquittal on other charges, including allegations tied to the so-called 5 billion-won club.

Key Facts

The lower court had sentenced Park to seven years in prison after convicting him of accepting 300 million won from the developer.
The appellate court cited inconsistencies in the developer’s testimony when finding Park guilty of accepting only 200 million won.
The developer had asked Park, then Woori Bank’s board chair, to have the bank join talks on a consortium for the Daejang-dong property project in Seongnam, south of Seoul.
The 5 billion-won club allegations concerned people allegedly promised or paid 5 billion won each by project investor Hwacheon Daeyu.
Park investigated a corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye as a special counsel in 2017.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 21, 2026 1:52 pm KST

Former special counsel Park Young-soo arrives at the Seoul High Court in Seoul's Seocho District, Wednesday. Yonhap

An appellate court on Wednesday reduced former special counsel Park Young-soo's sentence on bribery-related charges by one year to six years in prison.

The Seoul High Court also fined Park 200 million won ($150,000) and ordered him to forfeit 200 million won after finding him guilty of accepting the same amount from a private developer for campaign funds in his bid for the head of the Korean Bar Association.

The court acknowledged the transactional nature of the exchange, noting the developer had asked Park, who then served as Woori Bank's board chair, for the bank to join talks on a consortium for the Daejang-dong property project in Seongnam, south of Seoul.

A lower court had sentenced Park to seven years in prison after convicting him of accepting 300 million won from the developer.

The appellate court found him guilty of accepting only 200 million won, citing inconsistencies in the developer's testimony on the rest of the amount.

It upheld the lower court's acquittal and dismissal of other charges against Park, including allegations that he belonged to the so-called "5 billion-won club" in connection with the Daejang-dong project.

The club's members were allegedly promised or received 5 billion won each from asset management firm Hwacheon Daeyu, the project's investor.

Park rose to fame after investigating a corruption scandal involving the ousted former President Park Geun-hye as a special counsel in 2017.

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