The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Top court orders review of 'artist blacklist' ruling

By Yonhap

Published : Jan. 30, 2020 - 15:16

    • Link copied

(Yonhap) (Yonhap)

South Korea's top court ordered a review of an earlier ruling that handed down prison terms to senior aides of ousted former President Park Geun-hye, citing the need to scrutinize their alleged power abuse.

The Seoul High Court in January 2018 handed down jail terms to Kim Ki-choon and Cho Yoon-sun for keeping a secret register and giving disadvantages to artists who were deemed critical of the conservative president.

The court sentenced Kim, former chief of staff, to four years in prison, and Cho, a former culture minister and presidential secretary for political affairs, to two years behind bars.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered the appeals court to review its decision, claiming there were procedural and judgmental mistakes in defining their alleged power abuse.

Kim and Cho were senior aides to the former president who was impeached in March 2017 on allegations she and her close friend abused their power and received billions of won in bribery from top conglomerates. (Yonhap)