Daejeon City Councilor Sentenced for Sexual Assault

On July 10, 2025, the Daejeon District Court sentenced Song Hwal-seop (송활섭), an independent city councilor from Daedeok-gu, to six months in prison, suspended for one year, for charges of sexual assault against a female staff member of a campaign team. The presiding judge, Lee Mi-na (이미나), also mandated that Song complete 40 hours of sexual violence prevention education.

The charges stemmed from incidents that occurred in February and March of the previous year when Song, who was affiliated with the People Power Party at the time, was accused of inappropriately touching and holding the hands of a female employee working on the campaign for a party candidate.

While Song admitted to some physical contact, he denied any intent to commit sexual assault, a claim that the court did not accept. Judge Lee stated, "It is difficult to view the victim's testimony as false, especially considering the risks she faced in coming forward. The circumstances and nature of the assault clearly indicate the defendant's intent to commit sexual assault. The court also took into account the defendant's abuse of his position to assault a young woman working on election duties, his lack of accountability, and the victim's plea for severe punishment in determining the sentence."