In Court, Hwang Unha Criticizes Prosecution: "Abuse of Prosecutorial Power... Creating Nonexistent Cases"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] On the 10th, Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho appeared at the first trial related to allegations of presidential office-directed investigations and election interference, and completely denied the charges. He rather criticized the prosecution's indictment as "a third-rate political novel." Other defendants, including Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha, also raised their voices, saying, "The prosecution fabricated crimes that do not exist."

Former Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency Chief Hwang Unha, who was indicted on charges related to the Blue House's ordered investigation and election interference allegations, is attending the first trial held on the afternoon of the 10th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Criticism of the Prosecution Even Before Entering the Courtroom

The trial against Mayor Song and others, held under the Criminal Division 21-3 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jang Yong-beom), was marked by sharp tensions from the start. Before entering the courtroom, Mayor Song told reporters, "This is a very unreasonable indictment," adding, "The indictment is like a third-rate political novel forcibly pieced together by a small group of political prosecutors." When asked if he denied the charges, he replied, "Yes."

Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha also launched a strong attack against the prosecution outside the courtroom. Upon appearing in court, Hwang said, "The person who should be standing in court is not me, but the prosecution." He added, "The prosecution, as a state agency, has committed a crime by fabricating a non-existent case and covering it up," and said, "It is regrettable and absurd to be involved in an unnecessary trial due to case fabrication and falsification while being busy with legislative duties."

Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-eun Directly Maintains the Indictment

From the prosecution side, Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-eun appeared as the trial prosecutor. Kim, who was the head of the Public Investigation Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and led the investigation of this case, was transferred last September to the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office as head of the Criminal Division 1. On this day, he stated, "The wrongful election campaign of Song Cheol-ho's election camp has led to this court trial," and added, "Mayor Song, who was elected in the local election with unilateral support from state agencies, must now face the stern judgment of the law."

The prosecution claimed that Song Cheol-ho's camp, ahead of the 2018 local elections, mobilized the Blue House and police to conduct targeted investigations to portray former Ulsan Mayor Kim Ki-hyun, a main rival in the final election, as part of the entrenched corrupt forces. They also said that Im Dong-ho, a former Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party and Song's intra-party primary competitor at the time, was pressured to withdraw from the primary in exchange for the Osaka Consul General position.

The prosecution further argued that Song's camp, based on personal ties with President Moon Jae-in, received support from the Blue House to establish pledges that only Mayor Song could present. This included the so-called 'Ulsan Public Hospital pledge' support. They also judged that internal information was obtained from Ulsan City Hall and used in pledge formulation. The prosecution stated, "Officials from the Blue House, police, and Ulsan City Hall participated in this strategy and worked hard to realize it, resulting in Mayor Song's election."

In concluding the indictment summary, Chief Prosecutor Kim said, "Elections are a stage for realizing fairness and justice in the Republic of Korea, and even small things on that stage can become seeds of unfairness for those who do not receive them," adding, "That is the essence of the crime in this case, and its substance will be revealed one by one during the trial process."

Song Cheol-ho, mayor of Ulsan, who has been indicted on charges related to the Blue House's ordered investigation and election interference allegations, is attending the first trial held on the afternoon of the 10th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Song Cheol-ho's Side: "Only Had a Meal... No Requests Made"

Defense attorneys immediately denied the charges one after another as the prosecution read the indictment, asserting complete innocence. Song's defense particularly argued regarding the presidential office-directed investigation part, saying, "Although Mayor Song had a meal with lawmaker Hwang Un-ha, who was then the chief of Ulsan Police Agency during the election, he never requested an investigation against former Mayor Kim." They also stated that the prosecution's claims about the Ulsan public hospital pledge formulation were completely unfounded.

Song's defense also argued that the statute of limitations had expired for the violation of the Public Official Election Act and that a dismissal ruling should be made. While the statute of limitations for election crimes by public officials under the Public Official Election Act is 10 years, the defense argued that at the time of the 2018 local election, neither Song nor former Deputy Mayor Song Byung-gi held public official status, so the indictment itself was problematic. The defense said, "If a person who is not a public official violates the Public Official Election Act, the statute of limitations is six months from the election day," adding, "The statute of limitations for Mayor Song and Deputy Mayor Song has clearly expired, judging by the prosecution's indictment alone."

Defense attorneys for former Deputy Mayor Song, lawmaker Hwang, former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary Baek Won-woo, former Blue House Anti-Corruption Secretary Park Hyung-chul, and former Blue House Political Secretary Han Byung-do also denied the charges one after another. During this process, lawmaker Hwang obtained the floor and said, "The essence of this case is that the prosecution covered up crimes that should be punished by abusing prosecutorial power and fabricated a non-existent case," adding, "I will sincerely participate in the trial process and prove my claims."

Lee Jin-seok's Side: "Inspection and Copying of Investigation Records Not Yet Completed"

Lee Jin-seok, director of the Blue House National Situation Room, and Ulsan city official Yoon, who were additionally indicted last month, did not express separate positions on this day. They said, "Inspection and copying of investigation records have not been completed," and "We will express our position on the indictment before the next hearing."

According to the prosecution, Lee is suspected of involvement in delaying the announcement of the preliminary feasibility study for the Industrial Accident Mother Hospital, a key pledge of former Mayor Kim Ki-hyun, who was seeking re-election as Ulsan mayor ahead of the 2018 local election. The Industrial Accident Mother Hospital failed the preliminary feasibility study 20 days before the election, after which Mayor Song highlighted former Mayor Kim's weakness by mentioning the hospital's failure to attract the facility during TV debates as a Ulsan mayoral candidate. The prosecution suspects that Yoon took internal documents from Ulsan City Hall and handed them over to Mayor Song's side during this process.

The court listened to both sides' arguments and ordered them to submit written opinions on the matters they claimed. The court also stated that it would organize the acceptance or rejection of evidence submitted at the next hearing. The court plans to hold a separate preparatory hearing on the 18th to hear opinions from Mayor Song and former Deputy Mayor Song on the acceptance of evidence, and then proceed with the second trial on the 24th of this month.