Prosecutors Demand 5-Year Prison Sentence for Yoon Kwan-seok over Money Envelope Allegations in Democratic Party Convention

Sentence:

‘정치자금법 위반’ 강래구에 징역 3년·벌금 1000만원 구형

Translation:

3 Years Imprisonment and 10 Million Won Fine Sought for Kang Raegu over Violation of Political Funds Act

The prosecution has requested a 5-year prison sentence for Yoon Kwan-seok, an independent politician who was arrested and indicted over the Democratic Party's 'party convention money envelope scandal.' Kang Rae-gu, former standing auditor of the Korea Water Resources Corporation, who was tried for involvement in distributing money envelopes, was requested a 3-year prison sentence.

Independent lawmaker Yoon Kwan-seok is appearing at the Seoul District Court on August 4 for the substantive hearing of the arrest warrant as a key suspect in the 'money envelope incident.' Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

At the sentencing hearing held on the 18th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21-2 (Presiding Judges Kim Jeong-gon, Kim Mi-kyung, Heo Kyung-mu), the prosecution asked the court to sentence Yoon to 5 years in prison, and Kang to 1 year in prison for violating the Political Funds Act, and 2 years in prison plus a fine of 10 million won for other offenses.

Yoon was arrested and indicted on charges of receiving a total of 60 million won from primary campaign officials to provide to incumbent Democratic Party lawmakers to support former party leader Song Young-gil’s election ahead of the Democratic Party’s convention in May 2021.

Investigations revealed that between April 24 and 28 of that year, as concerns grew over former leader Song’s nationwide delegate support rate being overtaken, Yoon proposed to Kang and Lee Jeong-geun, former deputy secretary-general of the Democratic Party and other campaign officials, saying, "The rival candidate’s camp is distributing 3 million won to each lawmaker, so we should also give that amount to our lawmakers."

The prosecution believes that Park Yong-soo, a former aide to former leader Song, received 50 million won from businessman Kim, who was identified as a so-called ‘sponsor,’ and combined with funds within the campaign, provided Yoon with 60 million won in two installments.

During the trial, a recording was revealed suggesting that former leader Song was aware of the distribution of money envelopes within the party. In the audio file, Kang said during a call with former deputy secretary-general Lee on April 10, 2021, "I told Young-gil that Seong-man hyung connected me, so I distributed some money. When I said, ‘I greeted him with what Seong-man hyung prepared,’ he said, ‘Well done.’"

Based on this recording, the prosecution concluded that Kang provided funds received from then-Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Seong-man to regional headquarters chiefs in March 2021 and reported this to former leader Song.