Seoul High Court cuts former special counsel Park Young-soo's prison term to six years
An appellate court in Seoul reduced former special counsel Park Young-soo's bribery sentence by one year, imposing a six-year term and a 200 million-won fine.
On Wednesday, the Seoul High Court reduced the jail term of former special counsel Park Young-soo to six years, down from the lower court's seven-year sentence. Judges concluded that Park had taken 200 million won from a private developer in exchange for campaign funding, and they imposed an additional 200 million-won fine with a matching forfeiture order. The court noted that the developer sought Park's influence, then board chair of Woori Bank, to bring the bank into negotiations for a consortium developing the Daejang-dong site in Seongnam.
The appellate ruling also upheld the acquittal of other accusations, including allegations that Park belonged to a so-called "5 billion-won club" tied to the project's investor, asset-management firm Hwacheon Daeyu. Park first entered the public eye for leading the 2017 investigation into former President Park Geun-hye's corruption scandal.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights ongoing scrutiny of high-level corruption and its impact on South Korea's legal and financial institutions.
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