Won Se-hoon "I Didn't Even Kill Anyone"... Pleads for Leniency in Court

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Former National Intelligence Service Director Won Se-hoon, who has been on trial for nearly four years on various political manipulation charges, pleaded for leniency on the 16th, claiming that the investigation, trial, and punishment against him have been too harsh.

On the same day, Won Se-hoon made these remarks after being given the opportunity to speak at the first hearing of the retrial on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (loss to the national treasury), held under the Criminal Division 1-2 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Eom Sang-pil, Shim Dam, and Lee Seung-ryeon).

Won said, "I feel sorry that such things happened while I was working," but also lamented, "The prosecution has made me out to be something like a monster."

He added, "The prosecution has investigated me dozens of times and I have faced over a hundred trials," expressing, "I can only think that this is too cruel." He continued, "I did not kill anyone nor did I have any intention to harm anyone," and said, "I am very dissatisfied with the attempt to portray me as a bad person."

Won also stated, "Since July 2013, I have not undergone a comprehensive health check even once," and requested, "Please give me a chance to stand trial in good health."

His defense attorney denied most of the unconfirmed charges that day, arguing that Won did not receive reports on or give orders regarding civilian surveillance or political manipulation.

Won was indicted on charges including operating a civilian comment team using the NIS budget, using funds to verify rumors of misconduct involving the late Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, and delivering 200 million won in special activity funds from the NIS as bribes to former President Lee Myung-bak and others.

Won had already faced trial in the past for the so-called "comment manipulation" case, but after the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in administration, a large-scale reinvestigation aimed at "clearing out deep-rooted evils" was conducted, leading to a total of nine indictments from October 2017 to the end of the following year.

Both the first and second trials found a significant portion of Won’s charges guilty and sentenced him to seven years in prison. However, the charges of ordering surveillance on Mrs. Kwon Yang-sook and the late Mayor Park Won-soon (abuse of authority and obstruction of rights) were acquitted on legal grounds. Nevertheless, in March of this year, the Supreme Court ruled that the NIS’s abuse of authority should be judged more strictly, overturned the acquittal on the abuse of authority charges, and remanded the case to the Seoul High Court for retrial.