Opposition lawmaker Hwang loses Assembly seat over election law violation

By Kim Jae-heun

Hwang Young-cheul

Rep. Hwang Young-cheul of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party lost his National Assembly seat after the Supreme Court confirmed his violation of the Political Fund Law.

The court upheld Thursday lower courts' decisions to sentence the 54-year-old lawmaker to two years in prison suspended for three years and fine him 5 million won.

According to the Public Official Election Act, lawmakers lose their seats if they are fined 1 million won or receive a prison sentence of one year or more.

Hwang took 239 million won illegally by having his aides return their salaries, and spent the money for his own purposes between 2008 and 2016.

He also breached the Public Official Election Act by giving 2.9 million won to people in his constituency in cash at their relatives' weddings or funerals.

A local court had initially sentenced him to two-and-a-half years in jail suspended for four years and fined him 5 million won. He was also ordered to forfeit 287 million won.

At an appellate hearin, some of the charges were rejected and his jail term was reduced to two years in prison suspended for three years. The fine was confirmed but the financial forfeiture was lowered to 239 million won.

“Hwang continued comitting illegal activities for eight years from the time he began his lawmaker career, and the amount of illegal political funding was huge,” the court said. “But he failed to reflect on his wrongdoing and only tried to shift the blame to his aides by demanding they give false testimony during the investigation.”

After the top court ruling, Hwang admitted he breached the law and was responsible, adding he respected the court decision.