CHUNCHEON-- Upholding a lower court ruling, an appellate court on Thursday fined 151 teachers and public officials for making donations to a minor opposition party in violation of a law requiring government employees to maintain political neutrality.

The Chuncheon branch of the Seoul High Court penalized 151 teachers and civil servants with fines ranging from 300,000 won(US$269) to 500,000 won for giving donations to the Democratic Labor Party (DLP).

Prosecutors indicted 152 teachers and public officials in May 2010 on charges of paying up to 20,000 won every month from 2006 to 2008 to the party as its members or sponsors. The teachers and government officials are affiliated with the liberal Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union and the Korean Government Employees' Union, respectively.

In January 2011, a local court in Seoul sentenced them to a similar monetary penalty.

All of those accused later appealed the ruling but one persondied while awaiting trial. (Yonhap)