[Law & Story] The Lee Hwa-young Trial Reminiscent of the Film "Asura"

Courtroom Disrupted by Wife’s Outburst and Attorney Disputes
Protecting Lee Jaemyung Takes Priority Over Lee Hwayoung
Court Must Swiftly Uncover the Truth

Corrupt detective Han Do-kyung (Jung Woo-sung), ruthless Mayor Park Seong-bae of Annam (Hwang Jung-min), and relentless prosecutor Kim Cha-in (Kwak Do-won). The film Asura, which depicts a brutal, bloody battle for survival among villains, has been brought back into the spotlight.

On the 10th, Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, commented on the ongoing trial of former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young, saying, "It feels like a d?j? vu of the movie Asura." Earlier in March, he had remarked on the successive deaths of close associates of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was under investigation, stating, "Five people have already passed away," and added, "The dark shadow of death and the shadow of gangsters surrounding Lee are chilling and eerie, just like the movie Asura."

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon described it as "an extreme attempt to destroy evidence and obstruct justice, something you would only see in a mafia movie," while even Lee Won-wook, a Democratic Party lawmaker, mentioned a "hidden hand" during a radio appearance.

In the trial of former Deputy Governor Lee, who was indicted on charges including illegal remittance to North Korea, bizarre scenes reminiscent of those in movies continue to unfold.

On the 25th of last month, Lee’s wife appeared in court, shouting "Get a grip" while demanding the dismissal of her husband's lawyer without his consent. She even threatened him, saying, "If you withdraw the dismissal of the lawyer, you will receive no help from the family." During the trial on the 8th, Kim Hyung-tae, who had previously defended Lee Jae-myung in a public election law violation case and extended his political life, suddenly appeared and shouted "You" at the prosecutor. When the presiding judge tried to restrain him, Kim angrily asked, "Why are you shouting?" On that day, Kim submitted a motion to disqualify the court, an evidentiary opinion denying the prosecution’s claim that former Deputy Governor Lee reported the North Korean remittance to Lee Jae-myung, and his resignation letter all at once, then abruptly left the courtroom.

However, former Deputy Governor Lee himself stated to the court that he would continue to receive assistance from the lawyers of the Haegwang law firm who had been defending him, and said he had not read Kim’s motion to disqualify the court or the evidentiary opinion. This means that the dismissal of Haegwang lawyers, the motion to disqualify the court, and the evidentiary opinion were not the wishes of Lee himself. In fact, Lee reportedly made it clear in advance to his legal team that he did not want assistance from any lawyers other than those from Haegwang.

At this point, it is not unreasonable that a prosecutor said to Kim, "I wonder if you came here solely on a mission to disagree with the prosecution’s interrogation record." The defendant on trial is former Deputy Governor Lee, yet both his wife and lawyers seem more concerned about Lee Jae-myung. If it is true that former Deputy Governor Lee reported the North Korean remittance to Lee and obtained his approval, his own criminal responsibility would surely be much lighter. Yet, for some reason, neither his family nor his lawyers agree with this. It almost seems as if they want Lee to bear all the burden alone.

The opposition party claims that former Deputy Governor Lee reversed his statements about Lee Jae-myung due to coercion or pressure from the prosecution. However, it seems more likely that testimonies from related parties such as former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Seong-tae and evidence like National Intelligence Service documents influenced Lee’s state of mind, rather than Lee fabricating lies to save himself.

Who is telling the truth, who is lying, and what truth are they trying to hide?these are matters the court must swiftly uncover.