The Seoul High Court on Friday overturned an earlier guilty verdict against Song Young-gil, former five-term lawmaker and chair of the Democratic Party, over allegations of receiving illegal political funds and being involved in a bribery scandal during the 2021 Democratic Party convention.
Friday's ruling overturned the lower court's January 2025 guilty verdict. Song has been on bail since June last year after serving part of a two-year jail term.
Evidence against Song was deemed inadmissible in court, according to the high court ruling, as the prosecution sought a nine-year prison term.
Song faced charges of distributing over 66 million won in cash-filled envelopes to party lawmakers with voting rights, ahead of the Democratic Party convention that led to Song's election as party chair. He was also accused of receiving some 863 million won in political funds through an outside organization disguised as a think tank without proper bookkeeping.
The lower court found Song not guilty of his involvement in the scandal during his party leadership campaign, but guilty of his illegal fundraising.
Song, a prominent liberal politician, served as Incheon mayor from 2010 to 2014, and as the Democratic Party chair from 2021 to 2022. Song preceded Lee Jae Myung as Democratic Party chair. Lee later won the presidential election in June 2025.
Since leaving the Democratic Party in 2023 over the bribery scandal, Song has led the liberal-leaning Pine Tree Party he founded in 2024. Upon Friday's ruling, Song said on his Facebook that he would dissolve his party and return to Democratic Party. Rep. Park Soo-hyun, the Democratic Party senior spokesperson, welcomed the news, describing Song as a figure who withstood the persecution by the politically motivated prosecution.
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