Song Young-gil, leader of the Sonamu Party, who was arrested and indicted on charges including distributing money envelopes on behalf of the Democratic Party of Korea, did not attend the trial, citing mental shock following the court's denial of bail.
On the morning of the 1st at 10 a.m., Song did not appear at the trial held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21 (Presiding Judge Heo Kyung-moo), which was hearing charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery).
On that day, Song's defense attorney stated, "I briefly met with the defendant this morning, and he said that due to mental shock, he needs psychological treatment and is unable to attend the trial." He added, "Since the meeting was short, I could not confirm the specific situation, but I will meet again to check the defendant's mental state."
In response, the court said, "It appears there is psychological damage due to the denial of bail," and added, "It seems difficult to proceed with the trial today. The witnesses will be summoned again on the next date." The trial was postponed to the 3rd.
Song was arrested and indicted on January 4 this year on charges of involvement in distributing money envelopes totaling 66.5 million won to Democratic Party lawmakers and regional headquarters chiefs during March to April 2021, in the process of running for party leader at the 2021 party convention.
He is also accused of receiving a total of 763 million won in illegal political funds from seven businesspeople under the name of donations through the "Peace and Livelihood Issues Research Institute" (Meoksayeon) from January 2020 to December 2021. Among these, the prosecution stated in the indictment that 40 million won received from Park Yong-ha, former chairman of the Yeosu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in July to August 2020 was a bribe received along with an illicit request related to the approval of an incineration facility.
On February 26, Song requested bail, citing reasons such as the general election, asking to be tried while not in detention. However, the court rejected this request on the 29th of last month, citing concerns over evidence tampering.
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