In November of last year, Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, attended the first trial concerning allegations that he received illegal political funds from the Unification Church. He is shown seated in the courtroom. Kwon was convicted in the first trial and sentenced to two years in prison for accepting 100 million KRW in illegal political funds from the Unification Church. Kwon has appealed the decision.
According to the legal community on the 2nd, Kwon’s legal team submitted an appeal to the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge: Woo In-seong) on the day of the sentencing, last month on the 28th.
The court sentenced Kwon to two years in prison and a fine of 100 million KRW for violating the Political Funds Act. The court stated, “It is acknowledged that Kwon received 100 million KRW from Yoon Young-ho, the General Director of the Unification Church World Headquarters, on January 5, 2022,” and explained, “As a member of the National Assembly, Kwon was expected to prioritize the nation’s interest based on his conscience, but he betrayed the public’s expectations and his constitutional duty by accepting money from the Unification Church.”
After the sentencing, Kwon’s defense team stated, “We cannot accept this verdict,” and announced plans to appeal. They argued, “Both the legal reasoning and the factual assessment contradict the evidentiary principles outlined in criminal procedure law,” and expressed their intention to correct the judgment’s errors on appeal.
Yoon, who was tried in the same court for offering Kwon 100 million KRW and a Graff diamond necklace worth approximately 62.2 million KRW to Mrs. Kim Keon-hee, was sentenced to one year and two months in prison. Mrs. Kim was found guilty of some of the charges regarding her receipt of illegal benefits and was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison.