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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Supreme Court upholds dismissal of bribery charges against official linked to Yangpyeong highway probe

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • The Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision to dismiss a bribery charge against a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport official.
  • The official was investigated in connection with the controversial Yangpyeong highway route change.
  • The court ruled that the bribery charges were not within the scope of the special prosecutor's investigation.

South Korea's Supreme Court has finalized a decision to dismiss bribery charges against a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) official, marking the first final ruling in a case investigated by a special prosecutor. The official, identified by the surname Kim, was accused of receiving 35 million won in cash and 1 million won in gift certificates from construction contractors between June 2023 and September 2024. These alleged bribes were reportedly linked to his duties in selecting construction methods for road projects commissioned by MOLIT.

The investigation into Kim intensified as he was considered a key figure in the controversial decision to alter the route of the Seoul-Yangpyeong highway. The proposed change would have shifted the highway's endpoint to Gangsang-myeon in Yangpyeong County, an area where the family of first lady Kim Keon-hee owns significant landholdings. During an investigation into Kim in July last year, authorities discovered cash at his residence, leading to the bribery charges.

It is difficult to see a reasonable connection between the bribery case and the Seoul-Yangpyeong highway case.

— First Trial CourtThe court's reasoning for dismissing the bribery charges against the MOLIT official.

However, both the initial trial court and the appellate court dismissed the charges, ruling that the bribery case was not sufficiently related to the special prosecutor's mandate, which was focused on the Yangpyeong highway issue. The lower courts found no "reasonable connection" between the alleged bribery and the highway project, considering factors like the timing, nature of the offense, and personal associations.

The Supreme Court concurred with the lower courts' reasoning, rejecting the special prosecutor's appeal. The ruling stated there were no legal errors in the lower courts' interpretation of the special prosecutor law and its scope of investigation. This decision effectively ends the bribery case against the MOLIT official, at least as pursued by the special prosecutor's team.

There are no legal errors in the lower courts' judgment regarding the interpretation of the special prosecutor law and its scope of investigation.

— Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court's affirmation of the lower courts' decision to dismiss the charges.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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