Former Star Mobility Chairman Kim Bong-hyun, who is on trial for allegedly providing illegal political funds to opposition party lawmakers, submitted a letter of absence on the day of the trial and again did not appear in court. With less than 90 days remaining until the 22nd National Assembly general election, the trial involving multiple politicians is facing disruptions due to Kim's repeated absences.
According to the legal community on the 18th, Kim and former Gwangju MBC President Lee Kang-se's trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, held the previous day at the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 12 (Presiding Judge Yoon Chan-young), saw Kim, who was originally scheduled to appear, absent. It was reported that Kim submitted a letter of absence to the court citing 'severe headache, abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing' as health reasons just before the trial.
Before proceeding with the trial, Presiding Judge Yoon questioned the timing of Kim's notification of his absence. When Judge Yoon asked a correctional officer, "When did the defendant inform the prison that he would be absent?" the officer replied, "He said so when departing in the afternoon." Kim's lawyer explained, "I understand his mental state has been quite poor since the recent Supreme Court ruling." Kim, the main culprit in the so-called 'Lime fund redemption scandal,' was last month sentenced by the Supreme Court to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay 76.9 billion won in fines for embezzlement under the Specific Economic Crimes Act.
Judge Yoon then requested the correctional officer to prepare a report including medical diagnoses from prison doctors to verify whether Kim's claimed health reasons were valid. This was interpreted as a need for objective confirmation of the defendant's stated reasons for absence.
Kim was absent not only on this day but also at trials held in July and October of last year. Notably, on the 12th, he was scheduled to appear as a witness in trials directly related to opposition politicians involved in the case but did not attend, causing delays in the proceedings. Those accused of receiving illegal political funds from Kim include Democratic Party lawmakers Ki Dong-min and Lee Soo-jin, former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Young-choon, and former Uri Party spokesperson Kim Gap-soo, all of whom are undergoing separate trials.
Rep. Ki Dong-min of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was indicted on charges of receiving illegal political funds from Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility and a key figure in the "Lime Scandal" [Image source=Yonhap News]
The case was filed in February last year. Subsequently, Kim admitted to the charges in earlier trials, and Lee, who faces the same charges, testified multiple times in court that the funds were delivered in an envelope. Since most key circumstances regarding the charges have been revealed through the parties' admissions and testimonies, the trial process is effectively nearing its conclusion. Nevertheless, due to Kim's repeated absences, a sentencing date has not been set, and the first trial has been ongoing for nearly a year. Given the involvement of major politicians, it is not unlikely that sentencing will not occur before the next National Assembly election on April 10.
The issue is compounded by the upcoming nationwide regular court personnel reshuffle scheduled for early next month. If the presiding judge in a single-judge trial is changed, the new judge must review the entire prior trial process, inevitably delaying sentencing further. Presiding Judge Yoo, who is solely handling this case, is subject to reassignment in the February reshuffle under the 'two-year tenure' principle for presiding judges. Possibly anticipating this, the prosecution requested at the end of the trial to conclude the trial schedule, but Judge Yoo rejected the request, saying, "I won't be able to issue a verdict anyway." The prosecution repeatedly asked, "If the defendant refuses to answer questions, please set a short next hearing even next week," but Judge Yoo responded, "I am already unable to handle existing cases."
The next trial is scheduled for March 13, about two months later.
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