Lim Woo-jae, a former adviser at Samsung Electro-Mechanics, has been serving a one-year prison sentence after being convicted in a first trial of participating in the concealment of a confinement and assault case involving an elderly woman, judicial sources said Thursday.
According to legal sources, the Uijeongbu District Court Criminal Division 11 sentenced Lim to one year in prison late last year on charges of obstruction of official duties by deception.
Lim was indicted for his involvement in a confinement and assault case that occurred in April last year in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province. In the case, a man in his 30s allegedly confined and assaulted his grandmother for about six days. A shaman, identified by the surname Park, who was reportedly in a relationship with Lim, was named as a key figure behind the incident.
Investigators said Lim and Park had lived together since 2023 in a container structure on farmland owned by the suspect’s father, during which they received money from the man under the pretext of stock investments. Authorities believe psychological manipulation, often referred to as gaslighting, took place during this period.
As the investigation intensified, Park allegedly attempted to disguise the case as a missing persons incident by instructing the victim’s granddaughter, who had been a witness, to write and send a message in the form of a suicide note. Lim is accused of participating in the process. CCTV footage reportedly captured Lim driving a vehicle to transport the suspect and related individuals.
“The defendant recognized the co-conspirator’s crime but interfered with the execution of official duties to conceal it,” the court said. “The nature of the crime is serious, given that the defendant participated in evidence manipulation and denied the charges.”
Park was sentenced to six years in prison. The grandson accused of directly assaulting the victim received a three-year sentence, while the granddaughter accused of involvement was given a suspended sentence of one year and six months.
Lim has appealed the ruling, and a second trial is currently underway at the Seoul High Court.
Lim is the former husband of Lee Boo-jin, president of Hotel Shilla. Their marriage in August 1999 drew public attention as a union between a member of the Samsung founding family and a non-executive employee. The couple filed for divorce in 2014, and in 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that Lee would retain parental rights and custody, while Lim would receive a property division payment of 14.11 billion won ($10.3 million).
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
