Judge: Yes. Please go ahead.
Yoo Dong-gyu, former Head of Planning at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation: The material was a shopping bag softer than this one. (Tucking the shopping bag so it bulges inside his suit and turning toward the gallery) I put it in the shopping bag like this...
Audience: (Laughter)
Judge: It does look like you are carrying something visible from outside.
Yoo Dong-gyu, former Head of Planning at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, who claims to have handed over cash to Kim Yong, former Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute and a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, reenacted the situation in court.
On the 16th, the 23rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jo Byung-gu) held the fourth trial of Kim, who was indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. Yoo, who was indicted alongside Kim for allegedly conspiring to receive political funds from private developers involved in the Daejang-dong project, recently appeared as a witness in the trials.
On this day, Yoo reenacted the situation of handing over cash to Kim at the court’s request. The prosecution alleges that Kim received a total of 600 million won: 100 million won in April 2021 at the office of Gyeonggi Seongnam Youwon Holdings, 300 million won in June inside a car parked near Foretna Gwanggyo in Suwon, and 200 million won in June inside a car near Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office.
Yoo stood up from the witness stand arranged in the courtroom and imitated Kim receiving the first 100 million won, putting the cash inside his coat. Yoo said he told Kim, "Hide it here," while placing the box containing the cash inside a small shopping bag, which Kim then tucked inside the right inner pocket of his suit.
When Yoo turned around with one side of his suit bulging unnaturally, laughter erupted from the gallery. Kim also opened his mouth and laughed.
In response to the judge’s question, "Wasn’t defendant Kim wearing an overcoat at the time?" Yoo borrowed a coat and reenacted again, but the bulge on one side remained. The judge remarked, "It does look like you are carrying something visible from outside."
Kim took the opportunity to speak, saying, "The place called Youwon Holdings, where the money was supposedly given, is my constituency where the 2020 general election was held. I greeted people there in the morning when going to work." He added, "Yoo Dong-gyu claims there was no one there, but Bundang is known for severe parking difficulties. It was not a situation where I could just carry it like this."
The situation of handing over 200 million won was also reenacted. Yoo said he put two brown corrugated cardboard boxes, each containing 100 million won, into a paper shopping bag and explained, "When you put it in like this, the sides of the shopping bag open, so I sealed it with tape." He added, "I put one more layer and carried it like this (stacked inside another shopping bag)."
"So you walked in front of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office carrying it like this? Would you please give it to the court once?" The judge and associate judges took the shopping bag Yoo was holding to gauge its weight. The judge said, "It doesn’t seem to be a weight or situation that would make carrying it impossible or difficult."
Before the reenactment, the court instructed that water bottles weighing similar to 200 million won be prepared. The prosecution used the recess to temporarily bring the actual 200 million won. A prosecution official explained, "The weight of 200 million won is about 4 kg."
The court concluded the witness examination of Yoo on the charges of violating the Political Funds Act and scheduled the next trial on the 21st to examine attorney Jeong Min-yong, former Head of Strategic Projects at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, as a witness.
Kim was indicted in November last year while in custody on charges of conspiring with Yoo and attorney Jeong from April to August last year, around the time of the Democratic Party’s presidential primary, to receive 847 million won in four installments from attorney Nam as presidential campaign funds. Kim served as the overall deputy head of Lee Jae-myung’s campaign, responsible for fundraising and organizational management. In February 2021, Kim reportedly requested about 2 billion won for presidential campaign funds from Yoo, saying he was "circulating around Gwangju." According to the prosecution, attorney Nam sent the money through attorney Jeong and Yoo. The prosecution believes that Yoo spent 100 million won and failed to deliver 147 million won, so the actual amount Kim received is judged to be 600 million won.
Yoo, attorney Nam, attorney Jeong, and other defendants except Kim acknowledge the basic facts stated in the indictment.
Kim Yong, former deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, considered a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was prosecuted on charges of receiving illegal campaign funds during the 20th presidential election. [Image source=Yonhap News]
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