Former Lawmaker Park Soon-ja Sentenced to Prison in Bribery Case

Park Soon-ja (박순자), a former member of the National Assembly, has been sentenced to prison following her appeal in a case involving the acceptance of bribes in exchange for nominations as a city councilor. The Suwon High Court's Criminal Division 3-3, presided over by Judge Kim Jong-ki, upheld the original ruling on November 27, 2024, which found her guilty of violating the Public Official Election Act by accepting money related to candidate recommendations. The court expressed concerns about the possibility of her fleeing, leading to her immediate detention in court.

Park, who served as a lawmaker during the 17th, 18th, and 20th National Assemblies, was accused of receiving or agreeing to receive millions of won from four individuals, including two current city councilors from the People Power Party, as a quid pro quo for city council nominations ahead of the June 2022 local elections.

At the time, Park was the head of the local party organization for the People Power Party in the Danwon district of Ansan. She was arrested and indicted on November 30, 2022, and was released on bail in May of the following year. The first trial court sentenced her to two years and six months in prison along with a fine of 30 million won, but she was not detained at that time due to her conduct during the trial.

During the proceedings, Park and her co-defendants claimed that the transactions were personal financial dealings rather than bribes for nominations, but the court rejected this defense. The appellate court affirmed the lower court's guilty verdict, stating that there were no new circumstances or mitigating factors that warranted a change in the sentence.

Additionally, two city councilors who were charged with providing bribes to Park received sentences of eight months and six months in prison, respectively, both with a two-year probation period.