Kwak No-hyun, Seoul’s education chief who has been standing trial for buying a rival candidate out to win the election, was set free Thursday following a court decision.

The Seoul Central District Court found him guilty of election law violations yet sentenced him to a fine of 30 million won, a much lighter punishment than the four-year prison term sought by the prosecutors.

He was immediately released after four months of arrest.

Kwak has been accused of bribing Park Myoung-gee, his rival in the 2010 Seoul education chief election, with 200 million won in return for his withdrawal from the race. 

He admitted to offering the money, but claimed it was not a bribe but a token of goodwill.

“The 200 million won should be seen a payoff,” the presiding judge Km Hyung-doo said in the ruling.

“Yet, it is also convincing that Kwak acted out of goodwill to help out Park,” he added.

Although found guilty, Kwak will be able to resume work as the superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Education Office until a further ruling by a higher court.

He will lose his seat if the punishment is finalized by the Supreme Court.

Kwak said he would appeal.

“I will fight until I am cleared of all charges,” the former law professor said, walking out of the court building.

The court sentenced Park, professor of Seoul National University of Education, to three years in prison and Kang Kyung-seon, professor of Korea National Open University who handled the money transfer from Kwak to Park, a fine of 200 million won.

Park dropped out of the superintendent race just few days before the election, which made Kwak the sole candidate backed by liberal opposition parties against a multiple conservative contestants.

His supporters have claimed it was a politically motivated case to unseat the liberal educator who had often conflicted with the conservative government over his liberal reform plans, including the push to extend the human rights of students and provide free school meals to all students.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)