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Defendant guilty of pocketing 'bribes' for 'close' legal officials — by name-dropped judge

Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 13:49

[KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A defendant standing trial for pocketing money after claiming to have close ties to legal officials who could be bribed to resolve a relative's criminal case was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 20 million won ($14,500), ironically by the very judge the guilty party claimed to know.

“Do not ever drag my name through the mud again,” Judge Jang Chan-su of the Gwangju District Court told the defendant before handing down a prison sentence in line with the prosecution’s recommendation on Wednesday.

The defendant was indicted on charges of fraud after approaching a relative who was caught up in a criminal case last year and falsely claiming to have connections with high-ranking figures in the legal system — including the prosecutor general, prosecutors in the special investigation division and judges. The perpetrator persuaded the relative that a bribe was needed and pocketed a total of 139 million won over multiple payments.

During the proceedings, Judge Jang discovered that the defendant had previously committed similar fraud by invoking fake ties with legal professionals, including himself. The defendant had used the judge’s name in an earlier scam, for which a prison sentence was handed down earlier this year and was still being served.

Cases are assigned at random through the court's internal computer system, and by coincidence, the fraudster’s latest case ended up on the docket of the very judge whose name had once been exploited.

“Considering that you swindled a large sum by pretending to have connections with senior prosecutors, the crime is of a serious nature,” Jang said. “You’ve already been punished multiple times for similar offenses, yet you repeated the crime and made no effort to compensate the victim.”

While the court acknowledged the defendant had admitted to the offense and shown remorse, Judge Jang said the sentence was determined in consideration of the prior conviction and the need for consistency in sentencing.

“Don’t use my name again,” the judge added. “Why should my name be dragged through filth? Had I not presided over this case, I would never have known what you did. The person who gave you money probably believed I received over 100 million won. The world is much cleaner than you think.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]