A former member of the National Assembly, Ooh Che-chang, who faced arrest and charges related to corruption in the construction of highway noise barriers, received a prison sentence.
The Suwon District Court’s 11th Criminal Division (led by Presiding Judge Song Byung-hoon) on the 21st handed down a three-year and six-month prison sentence to former Rep. Ooh, who faced charges such as breaching the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (related to brokerage bribery) and violating the Attorney-at-Law Act, along with the seizure of roughly 888 million Korean won.
Nevertheless, the court found him not guilty of certain charges, such as the claimed receipt of about 98 million won and the promise to obtain 2.3 billion won in return for brokerage activities concerning the responsibilities of employees at the Korea Expressway Corporation, due to inadequate evidence, including the reliability of statements from involved parties, among other factors.
Former Representative Ooh was charged with receiving about 990 million won from Park, the head of construction company A, concerning the soundproof wall project on the Yeongdong Expressway. This occurred through a local housing association near Bopyeong Station in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, between 2021 and early this year.
It was discovered that he informed Park, “I will assist you in obtaining the construction project via Korea Expressway Corporation.”
The court remarked, “The defendant received funds and items from business representatives by claiming he could facilitate requests and act as an intermediary concerning the responsibilities of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, members of the National Assembly who are part of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and employees of Korea Expressway Corporation, using his influence from his two prior terms as a member of the National Assembly.”
It stated, “These offenses not only erode public confidence in the effectiveness and impartiality of official duties but also increase the financial strain on the association’s members involved in this matter, highlighting the seriousness of the violation.”
The case became known when Park submitted a complaint to prosecutors after being removed from the project due to a disagreement with former Rep. Ooh regarding the lobbying budget.
Park has also faced separate charges for making secret payments of tens of millions of won to former Yongin Mayor Lee Jeong-moon and is currently being tried in the first instance court.
