I Will Dedicate All My Efforts for Hwaseong City

Chae In-seok, 48, Hwaseong Mayor who was on the brink over allegations of violation of the Public Official Election Act, has been sentenced to a fine of 800,000 won on the 20th, making it possible for him to retain his mayoral position.

The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 6 (Presiding Judge Lee Tae-jong) on the 20th sentenced Hwaseong Mayor Chae In-seok to a fine of 800,000 won in a retrial concerning charges of entering false career information on election campaign materials and internet websites, in violation of the Public Official Election Act.

Since an election becomes null and void only when a fine of at least 1 million won is imposed for violations of election law, Mayor Chae can now retain his position even if the conviction becomes final.

The court stated, "The nature of the crime is not light as it compromises the fairness of the election through the distribution of invitations," but explained the sentencing reasons as follows: "Given that no explicit language requesting support was inserted and nearly half of the 700 invitation recipients were members of the same Democratic Party, imposing a sentence that would cause him to lose office appears to contradict the will of the voters."

Regarding the sentencing outcome, Mayor Chae In-seok told Suwon Ilbo in a phone call, "Without losing my original purpose, I will dedicate all my efforts for Hwaseong City over the remaining three years," and stated, "I am truly sorry for causing concern to citizens over the past year, and I will address any shortcomings thoroughly and work over the remaining three years as if they were four years."

With this, Mayor Chae has been freed from the shackles of election law violations and can now focus all efforts on the remaining Hwaseong City administration of the fifth civilian government. In particular, education and childcare policies, which Mayor Chae has prioritized as key administrative priorities, are expected to be pursued vigorously. Additionally, eco-friendly free school meals and the establishment of a local food system are also anticipated to gain momentum.

Mayor Chae was indicted without detention for entering false career information, such as adjunct professor and visiting professor at Chung-Ang University, on campaign materials and websites, and sending invitations to a book publication commemoration event to approximately 2,000 people during the June 2 local elections.

As a result, the first trial imposed a fine of 3 million won for election nullification, and the second trial imposed a fine of 2 million won. However, the Supreme Court on the 9th of last month newly acquitted him of the part involving the entry of visiting professor and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court.