Court rules he cannot be considered a person engaged in political activity

All co-defendants, including preliminary candidate Jeong Jae-sik, also acquitted

Jeon Sung-bae, known by the Buddhist moniker "Geonjin Beopsa," arrives at the office of standing special prosecutor Ahn Kwon-seop in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 19 as a reference witness. [Yonhap]
Jeon Sung-bae, known by the Buddhist moniker "Geonjin Beopsa," arrives at the office of standing special prosecutor Ahn Kwon-seop in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 19 as a reference witness. [Yonhap]

Jeon Sung-bae, the Buddhist figure known as "Geonjin Beopsa," was acquitted Monday in a first-instance ruling on charges of receiving about 100 million won ($64,800) in illegal political funds by leveraging his political connections.

Judge Ko So-young of the Seoul Southern District Court's Criminal Division 9 handed down the not-guilty verdict against Jeon on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act. Jeong Jae-sik, former director of the Yeongcheon Agricultural Technology Center, was indicted for allegedly handing over the money, and two other defendants charged with aiding the act were also acquitted.

The court found it difficult to conclude that Jeon qualified as "a person engaged in political activity" under the Political Funds Act, and similarly ruled that the 100 million won at issue could not be recognized as political funds.

"It is true that the defendant maintained frequent contact with then-lawmaker Yoon Han-hong, was introduced to politicians, and later took part in activities related to President Yoon Suk Yeol's election campaign," the court said. "However, the evidence submitted by prosecutors alone is insufficient to establish that he qualifies as a person engaged in political activity under the Political Funds Act."

The court added that even if Jeon were considered such a person, it was difficult to conclude that the 100 million won was clearly intended for use in political activity. "The intended recipient and purpose of the funds were not specifically identified, and therefore the money cannot be recognized as political funds," it said.

Jeon was also acquitted on fraud charges. The court said that while circumstances — including his flaunting of personal connections and influence to receive money — raised suspicions of fraud, it could not conclude that he had deceived the victim from the outset with intent to defraud.

The court said it could not rule out the possibility that Jeon had genuinely attempted to help secure the nomination but failed unexpectedly. It also took into account that he returned some of the money after the nomination bid fell through.

Jeon had been indicted on charges of receiving about 100 million won in illegal political funds from Jeong, who was a Liberty Korea Party preliminary candidate for mayor of Yeongcheon in North Gyeongsang Province during the seventh nationwide local elections in 2018, in exchange for helping him secure the party's nomination.

Prosecutors had argued that Jeon used his personal ties with then-Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Yoon Han-hong to receive illegal political funds over an extended period and improperly influenced what should have been a fair nomination process. At the final hearing in March, they sought a three-year prison sentence and a 100 million won surcharge against him.


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