Jeon Seong-bae, known as "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 Seong-bae, known as "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]

Prosecutors have appealed a first-instance acquittal of Jeon Seong-bae, the Buddhist monk widely known as "Geonjin Beopsa," in a case involving alleged payments in exchange for candidate nominations.

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office said Monday it had appealed all first-instance rulings against Jeon and his co-defendants. They were indicted on charges of receiving money in exchange for promises to help secure a Liberty Korea Party nomination for the Yeongcheon mayoral race ahead of the 2018 local elections.

Judge Ko So-young of the Seoul Southern District Court's Criminal Division 9 acquitted Jeon on June 29 of charges including violations of the Political Funds Act. Former Yeongcheon Agricultural Technology Center director Jeong Jae-sik, who was indicted on charges of providing the money, and two other defendants charged with aiding the transaction were also acquitted.

The court found it difficult to classify Jeon as a person "engaged in political activity" under the Political Funds Act, and determined that the 100 million won ($64,900) he received could not be recognized as political funds. The court also acquitted him of fraud, saying it could not conclude that Jeon had intended from the outset to use the money for personal purposes by deceiving the victim.

Prosecutors said they filed the appeal after determining that the defendants' criminal liability was established when considering the purpose for which the money was provided, the circumstances of its transfer, and the parties' understanding of who would ultimately receive and use the funds.


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