Supreme Court strikes down not-guilty verdict for ex-Chosun Ilbo journalist

SEOUL, The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a not-guilty verdict for a former editor-in-chief of the Chosun Ilbo newspaper charged with accepting valuables and treats from people seeking his influence in articles and editorials. Song Hee-young was indicted for receiving gifts and cash worth 57 million won (US$43,502) from Daewoo Shipbuilding AND Marine Engineering Co. (DSME), including its former CEO Nam Sang-tae, and 49.47 million won from its PR agency from 2007 to 2015. The district court sentenced Song to one year in prison suspended for two years, but the appeals court acquitted him of the charges, saying there was little grounds to see it as specific solicitation on outstanding issues. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down the appeals court's verdict and sent the case back to the high court, saying Song received some 39 million won from Nam for his Europe trip with the knowledge of it being the price of a request to form a favorable public opinion of the company. The court acknowledged ther e was an implicit solicitation between them, given the status of Song at the time, his relationship with the former CEO of DSME and the amount of profits at hand. Source: Yonhap News Agency