I didn’t even budge… Eight months of Justice Chung Gyeong-shim

Deputy Judge Lim Jeong-yeop (50, 28th Training Institute), who was sentenced to a four-year prison sentence of 500 million won in prison on the 23rd to Professor Chung Kyung-shim of Tong Yang University, was called the “Holy Judge” after taking charge of Professor Jeong’s trial for the past eight months. If Professor Jung’s witnesses were suspected of lying in court, they did not go over. He warned of perjury, rebuked the witnesses, and told him to tell the truth.

In this way, Prof. Jeong and former Justice Minister Cho Kook’s supporters confiscated the identity of Judge Lim, saying that he was a “recovery judge.” Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun added to the criticism, saying, “Isn’t this yangban solidified his heart?”

However, Judge Lim did not mind the accusations. On that day, the court also strongly rebuked Professor Jeong, saying, “The defendant has never honestly admitted and reflected on his fault.” Regarding the charges of illegal entrance examination, he pointed out that “the crime is very bad and it causes people to feel depressed and disappointed, so severe punishment is inevitable.” Although he was not guilty of some private equity funds and the charges of destroying evidence, he also accused him, saying, “It has interfered with the investigation and trial, and it is clear that he is trying to conceal corruption in the entrance examination.”

Deputy Judge Lim served as the judge of Professor Jeong as the successor of Deputy Judge Song In-kwon, who had an extreme confrontation with the prosecution after the court’s personnel relocation in February. Together with him, Vice Presidents Gwon Seong-su and Kim Seon-hee formed the Grand Court. The trial was conducted by Judge Lim, but the three judges consulted whenever there was a major issue.

Deputy Judge Lim, who served as the first trial judge of the Sewol ferry in 2014, took a strong position to the prosecutors and attorneys from the first trial of Professor Jeong, saying, “If the court decides, both sides must follow.” There was no conflict with the prosecution as in the case of Deputy Judge Song in Professor Jeong’s trial that lasted for eight months.

The incumbent prosecutor, who was in charge of maintaining the prosecution at the time of the first trial of the Sewol ferry trial by Deputy Chief Judge Lim, said, “The proceedings of the trial are memorable.” Professor Chung’s lawyers expressed their complaints every time Judge Lim warned of perjury to Professor Chung’s witnesses and yelled at them. One lawyer said, “It wasn’t a civil trial, but I felt like I was asking Professor Chung to prove innocent.”

Whenever the trial was held, Judge Lim prepared a summary of the opinions submitted by the prosecution and attorneys, as well as detailed comments on the requests of the judges, and read it as if reading a script. As it is a trial that attracts public attention, it has prepared the court to disclose the contents of the trial as much as possible to prevent mistakes.

The incumbent vice-president judge Lim’s motive for the Judicial Research and Training Institute said, “Judge Lim seems to have gained confidence in a large-scale criminal case as he took on the first trial of the Sewol ferry. It is because he was familiar with the records that he warned witnesses for perjury.” In the first trial of the Sewol ferry, Justice Im sentenced Captain Lee Joon-suk to imprisonment for 36 years by applying a crime of lethality, not murder. The ruling was overturned by life imprisonment (acknowledged for murder) in the second trial and was confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Judge Lim mainly warned of perjury to the witnesses who testified in favor of Professor Chung’s side. Last August, when the words that the nephew A of the former president of Dongyang University Choi Seong-hae had said in favor of Professor Jeong were shaken, he warned A to “don’t get on the water” and that the court may judge perjury.

In April, when Professor Jang Young-pyo of Dankook University, who gave the first author of the thesis to Professor Jeong’s daughter, Jo Min, came out, and in June, when Cho Bum-dong, the fifth niece of former Justice Minister Cho Kook, gave testimony, Judge Lim said, “The witness is the “Are you a lawyer?” “What answer is that?” Accordingly, some criticism came out of saying, “The judge reveals emotions” and “I am playing as a player, not as a referee.”

When former Minister Cho attended Professor Chung’s trial in September as a witness, Justice Lim allowed the prosecution’s question to exercise his right to refuse to state. At that time, when former Minister Cho tried to refute the prosecution’s arguments, he restrained him, saying, “Witnesses are people who answer questions, not people who speak opinions.”

On that day, the prosecution asked former Minister Cho more than 300 questions. Former Minister Cho refused to testify. This was when Cho’s supporters expressed their strongest dissatisfaction with Justice Lim. An incumbent judge in the district court said, “If I had been the judge, I would not have allowed the prosecution question to a witness exercising the right to refuse to testify.”

In March, Judge Lim rejected Professor Jeong’s bail request for “I will wear an electronic anklet.” Afterwards, Professor Jung was released on the second bail application in May. In September, Professor Jeong collapsed during the trial and held a vacant trial without a defendant. However, it did not accept Professor Chung’s request to postpone the trial.

Judge Lim announced that he would imprison Professor Jeong in court and imprison him in the Seoul Southern Detention Center. This is because a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus 19 infection appeared in the Seoul detention center. On this day, when Professor Jeong offered to express his opinion on behalf of the lawyer regarding the arrest, Judge Lim flatly refused, saying “No.” On that day, both the prosecution and Prof. Jeong announced that they would appeal to Justice Lim’s decision.

Reporter Park Tae-in [email protected]