| Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, answers reporters' questions in front of the Seoul High Court, Friday, after the court suspended his sentence. / Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
An appellate court has suspended handing down a sentence to Seoul's top educator, although it acknowledged his being charged with the Election Law violation.
The Seoul High Court made the decision on Friday for Cho Hee-yeon, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), who was charged with spreading false rumors about his rival Koh Seung-duk during the election campaign last year.
Such a suspension of sentence is a kind of "mercy" given when the crime is not grave. After two years, the person avoids punishment for the charge.
The court overturned a lower court decision which sentenced Cho to 5 million won in fines, which would deprive him of the post according to the law. The prosecution said it would appeal. If the Supreme Court upholds the high court ruling, Cho will keep his post.
During the election campaign, Cho raised suspicions that Koh held a U.S. green card and thus was unqualified for the top educator post.
"We recognize that he announced the false fact about his rival," the court said. "But it was an attempt to verify Koh's qualifications, and was not malicious enough to be punished."
It said that the controversy over Koh's green card was over a couple of days after Cho's announcement. "It doesn't seem that the announcement had a direct influence on the election."
After the ruling, Cho offered an apology to Koh.
"I apologize to Koh for my speech," he said. "I should have been more careful during the campaign. I'll reflect on myself and try to be more careful in carrying out my job as a superintendent."
Friday's ruling came four months after the lower court ruling. In the jury trial, all seven jurors concluded the liberal chief educator was guilty.
He appealed and requested a suspended sentence. He said that his announcement was not critical to the result of the election, and claimed that if he was removed from the post, taxpayer money would be wasted holding a by-election for the post.
He is the third chief of the SMOE to be tried for violating the Election Law since 2008. Two former chiefs -- Gong Jeong-taek and Kwak No-hyun -- were stripped of their positions after convictions.
During the election campaign last year, Cho accused his rival Koh of holding a U.S. residential card and having his children educated there. Calling Koh a hypocrite, Cho heralded that he was less than qualified for the post.
Koh argued his children are educated in the U.S. because they were born there, not because their father had a green card. In November, a conservative civic group filed a complaint against Cho.
Korean Language
검찰 "조 교육감 선고유예, 국민 의사 뒤바꾼 판결"
작년 교육감 선거에서 상대 후보에 관한 허위 사실을 공표한 혐의로 불구속 기소된 조희연(59) 서울시 교육감이 4일 항소심 선고공판에서 선고유예 판결을 받자 검찰은 상고하겠다는 뜻을 밝혔다.
검찰 관계자는 '국민참여재판으로 진행된 1심에서 배심원인 국민이 4일간 충분히 심리한 뒤 일치된 의견으로 전부 유죄, 당선무효형 평결을 제시한 사건'이라며 '국민의 의사를 뒤바꾼 이번 판결을 도저히 이해하기 어렵다'고 말했다.
이 관계자는 '조 교육감의 허위사실 공표 행위는 2차례에 걸쳐 있었는데 항소심 재판부가 무죄로 본 1차 공표 행위도 유죄가 명백하고 선거 결과에 영향을 미쳤다'며 '대법원에 상고해 판단을 받아보겠다'고 밝혔다.
검찰은 재판부의 판결문을 분석한 뒤 다음 주 대법원에 상고할 방침이다.
검찰 관계자는 '당시 조희연 후보의 지지율이 계속 올라갔고, 그 폭이 다른 후보와 큰 차이가 있다'면서 '선거 결과에 영향을 미친 것이 분명한데 그렇지 않다고 판단한 것은 채증법칙을 위반한 것'이라고 주장했다.
이 관계자는 '1, 2심에서 선거에 영향 미친 부분을 충분히 입증했고, 피고인 측은 2심에서 새로 정당한 근거를 제시한 것이 하나도 없다'면서 '허위를 인식하고 공표를 반복한 것에 대해 일반 국민도 인식한 것을 재판부가 바꾼다는 건 납득하기 어렵다'고 말했다.
서울고법 형사6부(김상환 부장판사)는 이날 조 교육감의 항소심에서 벌금 500만원을 선고한 1심을 파기하고 벌금 250만원의 선고를 유예하는 판결을 했다. 이 판결이 확정되면 조 교육감의 직위는 유지된다. (연합뉴스)