Jang Young-ha, Who Alleged Lee Jae-myung’s Gang Ties, Receives Suspended Prison Sentence for Spreading False Information

According to The Financial News, Jang Young-ha, People Power Party (PPP) Seongnam Sujeong District Party Committee Chair, who raised what was dubbed the "gangster connection" allegation against then–leading presidential contender Lee Jae-myung ahead of the 2022 South Korean presidential election, has received a final ruling of a suspended prison sentence.
On the 12th, the Supreme Court Third Division, presided over by Justice Lee Suk-yeon, upheld the lower court ruling that sentenced Jang to one year in prison with two years of probation on charges of announcing false information under the Public Official Election Act.
Jang is known as the former defense lawyer for Park Cheol-min, who has been identified as an enforcer for the Gukje Mafia gang in Seongnam and as a convicted drug offender.
In October 2021, Jang allegedly announced false information based on Park’s statements, claiming that "while serving as mayor, President Lee received about 2 billion won from the Gukje Mafia gang in return for granting business favors."
At the time, former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Yong-pan received these claims from Jang and, during the Security and Public Administration Committee’s National Assembly inspection of Gyeonggi Province, presented handwritten statements from Park and photos of bundles of cash. However, it later emerged that the photos were promotional images for a rental car and a private moneylender, sparking controversy, and the Democratic Party of Korea filed a criminal complaint against Jang with the prosecution service.
The prosecution service initially concluded that Jang had believed Park’s account to be true and had reported it as such, and therefore decided not to indict him. The Democratic Party of Korea objected and filed a request for adjudication with the court, which accepted it, leading to Jang’s indictment in May 2023.
The court of first instance acquitted Jang, finding that he did not have the awareness that he was announcing false information.
However, the appellate court found him guilty, stating, "It is reasonable to view that Jang at least recognized that the key allegation could be false when he made it public," and sentenced him to one year in prison with two years of probation.
The appellate court pointed out, "The defendant held a press conference and announced false information without securing any objective evidence that could clearly prove the allegation, relying only on photos of bundles of cash that were unrelated to the key facts and on statements from Park Cheol-min and others." It added, "After former lawmaker Kim made the disclosure, it became known amid strong backlash from the Democratic Party of Korea that the cash-bundle photos were fake, yet Jang pushed ahead with a press conference just two days later without undergoing any proper verification process."
Meanwhile, on the day the Supreme Court handed down its decision, Jang announced that he would file a constitutional complaint against court rulings and seek an injunction for suspension of effect.
On his Facebook page, Jang argued, "In this case, the statute of limitations had already expired on September 9, 2022, and the guilty verdict was based on a written reason for a request for adjudication that was submitted after the deadline for such a request." He claimed, "This ruling directly violates the principle of legality in criminal law and the principle of due process guaranteed by the Constitution."
He went on to say, "I plan to immediately file a constitutional complaint against court rulings challenging the unconstitutionality of the Supreme Court’s final decision, as well as an injunction for suspension of effect," stressing, "I will not give up and will fight to the end."
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter