Prosecution Seeks 15-Year Sentence for Lee Hwa-young on 'Ssangbangwool North Korea Remittance' Charges

The prosecution has demanded a 15-year prison sentence for Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, who was indicted and detained on charges of 'Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance.' The demand came one year and six months after Lee was indicted.

Former Vice Governor of Peace of Gyeonggi Province, Lee Hwa-young. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 8th, at the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Shin Jin-woo), during the final trial for Lee’s charges including bribery and violation of the Political Funds Act under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, the prosecution requested the court to sentence him to 12 years in prison with a fine of 1 billion KRW and a confiscation of approximately 330 million KRW for bribery and Political Funds Act violations, and 3 years in prison for violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act and obstruction of evidence.

The prosecution stated, “This case is a representative example of backward collusion between high-ranking public officials and mid-sized conglomerates, connected through inter-Korean economic cooperation business rights, in the reality of the division between South and North Korea, making it a serious matter.” They added, “Due to Lee Hwa-young’s crimes, the public’s expectation that public officials would perform their duties fairly and with integrity has been shattered, making the nature of the crime very severe.”

Furthermore, the prosecution said, “In the divided situation between South and North Korea, North Korea pours astronomical funds annually into launching missiles and reconnaissance satellites, threatening the international community and the security of the Republic of Korea. It is deeply concerning how the funds exceeding 10 billion KRW that Lee Hwa-young handed over to the North were used.” They continued, “Given that he acted as a so-called North Korea expert while committing crimes that threaten security, the nature of the crime is grave.”

They also stated, “Lee Hwa-young’s acts of judicial obstruction revealed during the trial are shocking behaviors that undermine the judicial system, which must discover justice and truth. This is another reason why a heavy sentence is necessary.” They added, “As a member of the social leadership class, we expected at least ethical awareness and remorse, but the defendant has continued to blame others with claims against common sense and shows no sign of remorse even at this moment, which is regrettable. There is no room for leniency.”

Lee was detained and indicted in October 2022 on charges of receiving and using corporate cards and vehicles from the Ssangbangwool Group in exchange for supporting inter-Korean economic cooperation from July 2018 to July 2022. He is also accused of registering an aide as an employee of Ssangbangwool Group to receive false salaries. Additionally, he was indicted for involvement in the North Korea remittance case (violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act), in which Kim Sung-tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, delivered 8 million USD to North Korea in 2019, including 5 million USD for Gyeonggi Province’s smart farm support project and 3 million USD for then-Governor Lee Jae-myung’s visit to North Korea. He is also charged with instructing the deletion of data related to his use of the corporate card from Ssangbangwool (obstruction of evidence).