"Transfer to North Korea." Lee Hwa-young's second trial is also sentenced to 15 years in prison..."Retroactive collusion between politics and business" vs "abuse of prosecutorial power"

Suspicion that Lee Jae-myung paid for his visit to North Korea on behalf of him
Lee Hwa-young refuted, "The prosecution itself is an abuse of prosecution's power."
Sentencing at the end of November...The key is whether to admit the allegation of remittance to North Korea
Lee Jae-myung is on trial for approval of remittance to North Korea.

[Anchor]
Prosecutors also demanded a 15-year prison term for Lee Hwa-young, a former vice governor of peace in Gyeonggi Province, who was indicted on charges of illegal remittance to North Korea.

The prosecution accused the former lieutenant governor of committing a crime of collusion between politics and business, which took hundreds of millions of won in bribes from sponsors, and Lee pleaded not guilty, saying the prosecution's indictment itself was an abuse of power.

I'm reporter Shin Gwi-hye.

[Reporter]
The appeals trial of Lee Hwa-young, former governor of Gyeonggi-do Province Peace, who was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison in the first trial on charges of illegal remittance to North Korea through Ssangbangwool Group, has been completed.

After a four-month trial, the prosecution asked for a 15-year prison sentence, just like the first trial.

Former lieutenant governor Lee is accused of paying $8 million for the visit of Lee Jae-myung, then governor of Gyeonggi Province, to North Korea in 2019, including the cost of the North Korean smart farm project, and receiving hundreds of millions of won in bribes, including corporate cards.

The prosecution criticized former lieutenant governor Lee for committing a backward political and economic collusion crime that took hundreds of millions of won in bribes and political funds as a high-ranking government official, and for committing unprecedented obstruction of justice by repeating his complacent arguments inside and outside the court.

He also argued that the first trial court's acquittal of part of the 8 million dollars, even though all of them were delivered to North Korea, would be a violation of North Korea's camouflage tactics.

On the other hand, the former lieutenant governor Lee refuted in his final argument that the prosecution's indictment itself was an abuse of power by the prosecution.

The prosecution claimed that the defendant needed a statement to prosecute Lee Jae-myung, then the governor of Gyeonggi-do Province, and that he coaxed and pressured Ssangbangwool officials to lead a statement that was different from the truth.

Former lieutenant governor Lee's appeal hearing will be held on November 29, and the key is whether he is guilty of remittance to North Korea.

The prosecution also indicted Lee Jae-myung on charges of approving remittances to North Korea five days after former deputy governor Lee's first trial was sentenced in June, and the first trial is underway.

As the fact-finding hearing on the remittance case to North Korea ends in this trial, the direction of representative Lee's trial is expected to be assessed according to the former deputy governor Lee's appeal.

I'm YTN's Shin Gwihye.

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Video: Yun Yong-jun
Design: Baek Seungmin