Seogeo-seok, the Superintendent of Education for Jeonbuk Province, appeared in court on charges of spreading false information during TV debates and other forums. The prosecution has sought to nullify his election win in the appellate trial. Seogeo-seok had previously been acquitted in the first trial.
During the appeal hearing at the Gwangju High Court Jeonju Division’s Criminal Division 1, the prosecution requested a fine of 3 million won, accusing the superintendent of violating the Educational Autonomy Act. The case stems from the 6·1 local elections in 2022 when Cheon Ho-sung, a professor at Jeonju National University of Education and Seogeo-seok’s opponent, accused him of assaulting a fellow professor. Seogeo-seok denied these allegations during a broadcast debate, claiming “There was no violence,” leading to charges of disseminating false information.
Despite being found not guilty in the first trial, the prosecution challenged the ruling, resulting in this ongoing appeal. The prosecution emphasized that as the chief representative overseeing Jeonbuk’s educational policies, Seogeo-seok misled voters by actively spreading false information during the election, thereby undermining their informed judgment.
In defense, Seogeo-seok’s legal team argued that the testimony from Professor Yi lacked consistency and credibility when considering the context of the incident. They further stated that even if the charges were proven, a punishment exceeding a 100,000 won fine was unwarranted. Moreover, they expressed that Professor Yi’s baseless allegations had caused undue distress and appealed for a judicious decision from the court to enable Seogeo-seok to continue offering hope and a bright future to the children of Jeonbuk.
During the case’s first trial, Professor Yi Gyu-jae from Jeonbuk University, initially a central witness claiming to be a victim of the assault, was found guilty of perjury and was detained for falsely stating that no assault occurred. Professor Yi subsequently admitted to the prosecution’s charges of perjury, explaining that he spread false information about the assault to aid his campaign for the presidency of Jeonbuk University.
The verdict for the appeal is set to be announced on January 21 of the following year.