Ex-Ulsan mayor, lawmaker acquitted

[Anchor]

Former Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho and Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha, who were indicted on suspicion of the presidential office's interference in the Ulsan mayoral election during the Moon Jae-in administration, were acquitted in the appeals court.

Unlike the first trial, which sentenced them to prison, the appeals court found them not guilty of all charges.

Shin Hyun-wook reports.

[Report]

Former Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho and Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha, who were sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial for the 'Ulsan mayoral election interference suspicion.'

The Seoul High Court today (2.4) acquitted both individuals.

The key issue was whether former Mayor Song solicited an investigation into his rival candidate, Kim Gi-hyeon of the People Power Party, ahead of the 2018 Ulsan mayoral election.

The appeals court determined that the credibility of the testimony from Yoon Jang-woo, the former policy committee chair of the Ulsan chapter of the Democratic Party, which was a major basis for the guilty verdict in the first trial, was lacking.

The appeals court stated that regarding Yoon's testimony about the solicitation of an investigation, "he recanted some of his testimony and stated that he could not remember specific circumstances," making it difficult to believe.

Another contentious issue was the so-called 'ordered investigation' suspicion.

Prosecutors argued that an administrative officer in the Blue House’s Civil Affairs Office at the time drafted a crime report against Kim Gi-hyeon based on information provided by Ulsan’s deputy mayor. This report was allegedly passed through presidential secretaries to then-Ulsan Police Chief Hwang Un-ha.

However, the appeals court found it difficult to acknowledge that former Mayor Song and the Blue House staff conspired to influence the election by having the police investigate lawmaker Kim, considering their relationships.

[Hwang Un-ha/Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker: "I am very pleased that the court has made a wise ruling, allowing me to recover from past pain and disgrace."]

[Song Cheol-ho/Former Ulsan Mayor: "This case was a political manipulation incident for political purposes and a political hunting incident."]

Lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon of the People Power Party expressed his opposition to the ruling, stating it was "an incomprehensible result."

The prosecution announced that they would appeal, claiming that the court rejected the credibility of witnesses for reasons that were difficult to understand and uncritically cited the defendant's unilateral claims.

KBS News, Shin Hyun-wook.