Appeals court overturns election interference convictions of former Ulsan mayor, opposition lawmaker

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Appeals court overturns election interference convictions of former Ulsan mayor, opposition lawmaker

Former Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho, left, and liberal Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Hwang Un-ha speak to reporters at the Seoul High Court on Feb. 4, after the court acquitted them of election meddling charges. [YONHAP]

Former Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho, left, and liberal Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Hwang Un-ha speak to reporters at the Seoul High Court on Feb. 4, after the court acquitted them of election meddling charges. [YONHAP]

 
A court of appeals on Tuesday acquitted former Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho and opposition lawmaker Hwang Un-ha of election interference charges related to the southeastern city's mayoral election in 2018, overturning a three-year prison sentence given by a district court to each of them.
 
The Seoul High Court made the ruling after the Seoul Central District Court found Song and Hwang guilty in late 2023 of conspiring to engineer an investigation against an election rival.
 

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Song, a longtime friend of then President Moon Jae-in, was indicted in January 2020 on charges of conspiring with Hwang and some presidential aides to win the 2018 Ulsan mayoral election.
 
Hwang, who served as Ulsan's police chief at that time, was indicted on suspicion of conducting a controversial investigation into the camp of Song's election rival and then Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon at the request of Song and some aides to Moon.
 
Song ultimately beat Kim in the election and served as Ulsan mayor from 2018-2022. Hwang later won a parliamentary seat in the 2020 general elections on the then ruling liberal Democratic Party's ticket. He won a second term in last year's parliamentary elections and is now serving as floor leader of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party.
 
The appellate court also acquitted two former presidential officials of election meddling charges.
 
Yonhap 
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