Chairman Kim Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon was sentenced to imprisonment for assault yesterday.

Judge Kim Cheol-hwan of the Seoul Central District Court imposed a one and a half year prison sentence on Chairman Kim on July 2. He said, “The defendant abused his wealth to take his revenge. This is violent organized crime. This case is very serious and can’t be regarded lightly.”

Before sentencing, Judge Kim added, “Revenge assaults can’t be tolerated under the rule of law. The defendant should have admonished his son’s assaulters, claimed compensation for injuries or filed a lawsuit against them. But he didn’t follow the rule of law. His assault showed contempt for the law.”

The chairman lowered his head, expecting a heavy penalty, as Judge Kim announced the characteristics of the case and the reason for his sentence.

Upon his final announcement, Judge Kim said, “Jail is inevitable even though the defendant confessed his crime, the victims didn’t want harsh sentencing, and the defendant is in charge of a big business group.”

The chairman and his lawyers claimed that he didn’t use a steel pipe and stun gun to attack victims at a factory near Mt. Cheonggye in Seongnam of Gyeonggi Province. But the judge didn’t accept the claim, saying “Considering the consistent statements of victims, the court is sure Mr. Kim used a steel pipe and stun gun.”

When the sentence was declared, Chairman Kim’s face hardened and he put his hand on the table, showing his disappointment. He was about to say something to his attorneys when the trial was finished. But he was led outside the courtroom by the court guard.

Mr. Kim was dressed in a short-sleeved blue prison suit soon afterwards. He seemed to be calm when he entered the courtroom and exchanged nods with workers of his group in the public gallery.

His subordinates of the Hanwha Group expected their boss to be given a suspended sentence. So they brought his executive suit for him to wear home from court. But the result betrayed their expectations and they looked perplexed.

Chairman Kim and his conglomerate said, “The result was disappointing as the court didn’t allow for circumstances. We will appeal against the ruling.”

Insiders of Hanwha worry that his imprisonment will hamper the conglomerate`s global projects. One senior member of the group said, “As the head of the group has been absent for a long time, global projects led by about ten affiliated companies, including Hanwha Chemical, Hanwha Engineering & Construction and Korealife Insurance, will face difficulties. We should deal with the situation.”

Mr. Jin, the head of Chairman Kim’s security team, was sentenced to ten months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence. And Mr. Kim, the president of a Hanwha subcontractor, was fined with 5 million won. The two were indicted with the jail-bound chairman.

wing@donga.com swon@donga.com