Three Members of 'Chungbuk Dongjihoe' Accused of Espionage Sentenced to 12 Years Each... Sentenced in Court

Defendants in the 'Chungbuk Dongjihoe' case, accused of espionage activities, were sentenced to heavy prison terms and detained in court in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 11 of Cheongju District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Seung-joo) on the 16th sentenced Son Mo (50), chairman of Chungbuk Dongjihoe, and two others to 12 years in prison each for violating the National Security Act and other charges, and ordered their detention in court.

They are accused of forming the pro-North Korean organization 'Jaju Tongil Chungbuk Dongjihoe' in 2017 under the orders of North Korean agents, receiving operational funds worth about 20,000 US dollars, and conducting various security-threatening activities such as detecting national secrets and collecting domestic political information in the province for four years.

According to the prosecution, Son and the other two divided roles as chairman, adviser, vice chairman, and liaison officer, exchanging encrypted files containing instructions and reports with agents, and engaged in activities to recruit politicians and labor and civic group figures in the Chungbuk region.

During the trial, they employed delay tactics such as filing motions to disqualify the court and frequently changing lawyers. Recently, ahead of the first trial verdict, they also applied for 'political asylum' to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). This first trial verdict came two years and four months after the first hearing in October 2021.