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Thursday, 13 August 2026 Reading Room

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Lee Jung-geun and others were accused of 'executive-level job solicitation'... No guilty verdict for Roh Young-min and Kim Hyun-mi in the first trial Chung-Ang University's former president, Kim Do-seon, and former vice president, Lee Jung-geun, were indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, specifically for taking bribery and extortion, in relation to the so-called 'executive-level job solicitation' scandal. The scandal involved allegations that Lee Jung-geun, along with others, had solicited bribes in exchange for helping certain individuals get jobs at LH Corporation, a state-owned land and housing company. On the 27th, the Seoul Central District Court found former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Roh Young-min, and former Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Kim Hyun-mi, not guilty of the charges brought against them. The court, however, found Lee Jung-geun guilty of taking a 200 million won bribe and sentenced him to three years in prison. In a separate case, former President Moon Jae-in's chief of staff, Koh Seung-joo, was also found guilty of taking a 350 million won bribe in relation to the same scandal. The prosecution had sought a five-year prison sentence for Lee Jung-geun. The court also ordered Lee Jung-geun to forfeit 200 million won. The prosecution had indicted a total of 10 people, including high-ranking government officials and business executives, in connection with the scandal. The court is scheduled to hold a trial for the remaining defendants on the 29th. The 'executive-level job solicitation' scandal first came to light in 2020. It involved allegations that high-ranking officials at LH Corporation had solicited bribes in exchange for helping certain individuals get jobs at the company. An investigation by the prosecution found that Lee Jung-geun had taken a total of 470 million won in bribes from 2017 to 2020. The scandal led to widespread criticism of the government and LH Corporation. The government has vowed to take steps to prevent similar scandals from happening in the future.

·hani.co.kr

Police searched the server company of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Tuesday over a post allegedly made by party leader Han Dong-hoon on the party’s online bulletin board that criticized the government. 경찰은 이날 국민의힘 서버를 관리하는 업체를 압수수색했다. A police search of a server company took place amid allegations that Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), had made a post on the party’s online bulletin board that criticized the government. 국민의힘 서버를 관리하는 업체 관계자는 “오전에 경찰이 서버를 압수수색했다”고 밝혔다. The police investigation is focused on whether Han Dong-hoon, the current PPP leader, had made the post on the party’s bulletin board, and if so, whether it was written under a pseudonym. 경찰은 한동훈 국민의힘 대표가 게시판에 글을 게시한 건지, 또 아이디가 실명이라면 아이디의 주인도 한 대표인지를 확인할 방침이다. The police are also looking into whether the company had taken measures to protect the personal information of users. 경찰 관계자는 “서버 관리 업체를 상대로 개인정보보호법 위반 여부도 들여다보고 있다”고 말했다. The search is related to a post that appeared on the party’s bulletin board on Aug. 15 that strongly criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol. 이번 압수수색은 지난달 15일 국민의힘 당원게시판에 윤석열 대통령을 강하게 비판하는 글이 게시된 사건과 관련 있다. The post, which was later confirmed to have been written by a party member, not Han, sparked controversy as many speculated that it was written by Han, who denied the allegations. 당시 게시판에는 윤석열 대통령을 비판하는 댓글이 달렸고, 작성자가 한 대표라는 의혹이 제기되면서 논란이 일었다. The police investigation comes as Han is gearing up to run in the PPP’s leadership election next month. 경찰의 압수수색은 한 대표가 내달 있을 국민의힘 전당대회 출마를 준비하는 상황에서 이뤄졌다. Han has been leading the party since 2021 and is eligible to run for re-election. 한 대표는 2021년부터 국민의힘을 이끌어왔으며, 연임이 가능하다.

·hani.co.kr

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