Changwon Mayor Hong Nampyo Trial Underway... 6 Hours Elapsed

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam (left), is heading to the courtroom building to attend a trial at the Changwon District Court.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

The 6th trial regarding Hong Nampyo, the mayor of Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam, who is accused of violating the Public Official Election Act, was held on the 22nd.

At the Changwon District Court, trials were held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively, attended by Mayor Hong, Mr. A, who was involved in the public office proposal, and Mr. B, who claims to have received the proposal.

According to the prosecution, Mayor Hong and Mr. A are accused of conspiring, knowing that Mr. B was running as a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party's Changwon mayoral election in last year's nationwide local elections, and promising a public office to join Mayor Hong's election campaign, who was then a preliminary candidate.

Mr. B is accused of accepting the proposal to join Mayor Hong's election campaign and the promise of a public office from Mr. A.

The legal dispute over whether "Mr. B was a person intending to become a candidate," which has been raised since the first trial, continued in the afternoon session.

The defense lawyer for Mayor Hong, who argues that Mr. B was not a person intending to become a candidate, focused on the fact that Mr. B did not make an official declaration of candidacy or register as a preliminary candidate at that time during the cross-examination.

The lawyer for Mr. A stated that nowhere in the 172 pages of A4 messenger conversation printouts between the witness and Mr. B was there any mention of Mr. B's election candidacy.

The prosecution and defense also focused on who exactly proposed the public office on the condition of joining and what the precise contents of the proposal were.

The morning trial session lasted about an hour before ending, but the afternoon session continued past 8 p.m.