Rep. Shin Young-dae lost his parliamentary seat due to allegations of election official manipulating public opinion polls during the primary election for the Gunsan, Gimje, Buan-gap constituency of the Democratic Party of Korea, ahead of the 22nd general election. [Photo=Yonhap News] 

Rep. Shin Young-dae has lost his parliamentary seat due to allegations of election official manipulating public opinion polls during the primary election for the Gunsan, Gimje, Buan-gap constituency of the Democratic Party of Korea, ahead of the 22nd general election. The former election official for Rep. Shin has received a suspended prison sentence. 

On the 8th, the Supreme Court's First Division (presided over by Justice Shin Sook-hee) finalized the district court's ruling, sentencing former election official A to one year in prison suspended for two years, for violations of the Public Official Election Act and obstruction of business.

Article 265 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that if an election official is confirmed to have received a prison sentence or a fine of 3 million won or more for an election-related crime, the election of the candidate they are associated with is invalidated.

This is a "joint responsibility" provision designed to ensure the fairness of elections by holding candidates responsible for crimes committed by individuals closely associated with them.

A is accused of delivering 15 million won in cash and approximately 100 mobile phones to B, former secretary-general of the Gunsan Sports Association for the Disabled, ahead of the general election, and instructing him to submit multiple responses to the public opinion polls for the 22nd general election Democratic Party primary for the Gunsan, Gimje, Buan-gap constituency in North Jeolla Province.

Rep. Shin narrowly won the party nomination by a margin of about 1 percentage point (P) against former lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom in the party primary at the time.

The first trial court ruled that the offense was "organized and planned, and that A took charge of the practical matters and directed the criminal acts proactively," finding him guilty. The appellate court also upheld the original ruling by dismissing the appeal.

The Supreme Court also dismissed the appeal on this day, stating, "There is no error in the misinterpretation of legal principles concerning the establishment of the crime of violating the Public Official Election Act due to bribery and inducement of interest related to internal party primaries."

Kim Soon-hwan, secretary-general of the Committee for the People's Livelihoods and Welfare, who filed complaints against several incumbent lawmakers including Rep. Shin Young-dae of the Democratic Party of Korea, answers questions from reporters. [Photo=Yonhap News] 

Kim Soon-hwan, secretary-general of the Committee for the People's Livelihoods and Welfare, who filed complaints against several incumbent lawmakers including Rep. Shin Young-dae of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "The fact that there were manipulations of public opinion polls and acts of bribery in a constituency where the party primary is effectively the main election is an act of deceiving the entire electorate." He added, "The gravity of this case is not light, given that public opinion was systematically distorted behind the scenes while packaging it as a fair primary on the surface."

Secretary-General Kim further added, "I fully agree with the court's point that this was an 'organized and planned crime.'"

Meanwhile, Rep. Shin is also standing trial at the Seoul Northern District Court on charges of accepting bribes related to the Saemangeum solar power project, for which he was indicted without detention in December 2024. The prosecution had requested an arrest warrant for Rep. Shin in November of last year, but it was rejected by the National Assembly with 93 votes in favor and 197 votes against out of 295 attendees.

Reporter Lim Yo-hee