Choi Kang-wook, who requested "Please finish the trial quickly," says "The request for postponement was not accepted"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] On the morning of the 2nd, Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, appeared at his second trial and explained the reason for requesting the court to end the trial early, saying, "I applied for a postponement to the court, but it was not accepted, so I had no choice."

Choi attended a press briefing held by the Open Democratic Party at the National Assembly that morning and said, "Reporters who came to the court asked if the trial date was clearly known and the press conference schedule was set accordingly," adding, "I once again felt that strange or malicious interpretations could follow."

From 10 a.m., when the press briefing was held, Choi appeared at his second trial and requested the court, saying, "I have a press conference," and "As the party leader, I cannot be absent from official events. Could the parts concluded today be handled in the next hearing?"

The court responded, "No defendant will have the current situation changed without objective reasons," and "The court does not accept requests from any defendant," but the trial ended around 11:18 a.m., and Choi attended the National Assembly press briefing at 11:45 a.m.

Choi emphasized, "What defendant would want the trial to be prolonged or extended?" and "In my position, suffering from a very unfair situation, there is no reason to delay the trial."

Regarding the overlap of the trial date and the press briefing schedule, he explained, "Somehow, it became a situation where misunderstandings could arise from both sides," adding, "I had mentioned that the schedule could become uncertain around the National Assembly opening schedule during the process of setting the date, and the presiding judge told me to apply again after seeing it then. I applied for a postponement, but it was not accepted, so I had no choice but to attend the trial."

Meanwhile, Choi is indicted on charges of issuing a false internship certificate to the son of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk.