Kim’s son gets reduced sentence in bribery cases

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Kim’s son gets reduced sentence in bribery cases

The Seoul High Court yesterday reduced on appeal the sentence handed out to former President Kim Dae-jung’s third son, Kim Hong-gul, who was convicted in November on bribery and tax evasion charges.
The court also threw out two of the convictions. It then reduced the suspended sentence from two years to 18 months, and also reduced the fine from 200 million won ($166,000) to 150 million won. Mr. Kim’s subsequent probation period was reduced from three years to two.
“He was a president’s son, and a high ethical standard was expected from him,” the court said. “Thus, his wrongdoings disappointed and enraged the people.”
But the court added that he had been ignorant of the world because of his youth as the son of a prominent dissident under attack by Korea’s authoritarian regimes, and said he was unaware of the circumstances that surrounded two of the bribery charges, of which the court cleared him.
Choi Gyu-seon, a businessman convicted of offering bribes to Mr. Kim, also got some leniency from the appeals court yesterday; his 30-month sentence was reduced to 24 months.


by Kim Hyeon-kyeong
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