'Ulsan Mayor Election Intervention' Hwang Unha and Song Cheolho Acquitted... 5 Years and 7 Months After Indictment

[Financial News] Hwang Unha, a member of the National Innovation Party, and Song Cheolho, former Ulsan Mayor, who were tried for 'Ulsan Mayor Election Intervention Suspicion', have been acquitted. It is the conclusion 5 years and 7 months after being indicted in January 2020.
The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Judge Oh Kyungmi) confirmed the acquittal of Hwang and former Mayor Song, who were tried for violating the Public Official Election Act and other charges, on the 14th.
The Ulsan Mayor election intervention suspicion is an allegation that the Blue House systematically intervened to elect Song, a friend of former President Moon Jae-in and then-Democratic Party candidate, ahead of the 2018 local elections.
Former Mayor Song was indicted for requesting an investigation into then-competitor Kim Gihyeon, a member of the People Power Party (then Ulsan Mayor), from Hwang, who was the Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency Chief in September 2017.
The prosecution found that Moon, a former administrative officer of the Blue House's Civil Affairs Office, wrote a crime intelligence report based on information from Song Byeonggi, former Deputy Mayor, and that this report was delivered to Hwang through Baek Wonwoo, former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary, and Park Hyungcheol, former Anti-Corruption Secretary, leading to an 'ordered investigation'.
The first trial found most of the charges guilty and sentenced Hwang to 2 years and 6 months in prison for violating the Public Official Election Act, and 6 months for abuse of authority, totaling 3 years in prison. Former Mayor Song was sentenced to 3 years in prison for violating the Public Official Election Act.
The first trial court pointed out, "The police organization and the President's Office, which should serve the entire nation, were used privately, affecting the people's voting rights, and there is a great public interest need to ensure such acts do not occur again through severe punishment."
However, the second trial overturned the judgment, seeing that the credibility of the key witness's testimony was low. It also considered the drafting and delivery of intelligence reports as falling within the job scope of Blue House employees at the time.
The second trial court judged, "It is difficult to recognize the credibility of the testimony regarding hearing about the investigation request, considering the content and circumstances of the testimony and inconsistencies with other evidence," and "Other related circumstantial facts do not clearly support the above facts."
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, stating, "There is no error in the judgment of the lower court that deviated from the limits of free evaluation of evidence by violating the rules of logic and experience, or misunderstood the legal principles of violating the Public Official Election Act."

jisseo@fnnews.com Seo Minji Reporter