First Court Transcript Released from April 4
"Lawyer Kim Kwang-min's Shameless Behavior"
"Also Violates Counsel's Duty of Objectivity"
Transcript of Defendant Lee Hwa-young's Court Examination on April 4, released by Suwon District Prosecutors' Office on the 23rd.
The prosecution revealed a court transcript on the 23rd after Kim Kwang-min, the lawyer representing former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young, appeared on a YouTube broadcast and claimed that "Defendant Lee Hwa-young did not change his statement" regarding drinking inside the prosecution office, accusing him once again of making false claims.
The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office stated in a press release titled "Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's Position on Kim Kwang-min's False Claims" distributed to the media on the same day, "Despite clear evidence proving the so-called 'prosecution office drinking party inducement suspicion' claimed by Defendant Lee Hwa-young and lawyer Kim Kwang-min to be false?based on testimonies from participating lawyers, 38 correctional officers, Ssangbangwool affiliates including Kim Sung-tae, as well as objective evidence such as departure logs and escort plans?the lies of Defendant Lee Hwa-young and lawyer Kim Kwang-min have gone too far."
The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office pointed out, "Today, lawyer Kim Kwang-min made an additional false claim on the YouTube program (News Factory), stating, 'Defendant Lee Hwa-young testified in court that he only touched a paper cup to his lips without drinking, and that it was not Lee Hwa-young who was intoxicated but Kim Sung-tae, so he did not change his statement.'"
They continued, "However, during the defendant's questioning in court on April 4, which was made public, Defendant Lee Hwa-young clearly answered the prosecutor's question about 'what kind of alcohol and how he drank it' by stating that he directly drank soju poured into a paper cup. When asked if correctional officers did not inquire about drinking since there would have been the smell of alcohol if he had drunk, he replied that his face was flushed and that he returned home only after his face had calmed down."
Transcript of Defendant Lee Hwa-young's Court Examination on April 4, released by Suwon District Prosecutors' Office on the 23rd.
The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office added, "The content of Defendant Lee Hwa-young's questioning was all recorded in accordance with Article 56-2 of the Criminal Procedure Act, and checking the transcript clearly reveals that lawyer Kim Kwang-min's claim today is a blatant falsehood." On the same day, the prosecution released the relevant part of the court transcript from April 4, when the former deputy governor first raised the 'prosecution office drinking party inducement suspicion' claim.
The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Lawyer Kim Kwang-min directly heard the drinking testimony as Defendant Lee Hwa-young's counsel in court that day, and the defendant's questioning audio file can be obtained by both the lawyer and the defendant upon application to the court at any time, so the excuse that the prosecution did not disclose it is invalid." They criticized, "Lawyer Kim Kwang-min appeared on a YouTube broadcast and brazenly lied about statements made in open court, which is a shameless act that also violates the lawyer's 'duty of objectivity.'"
The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office also stated that lawyer Kim made false claims regarding the 'former official lawyer inducement' suspicion, which he asserted by releasing the former deputy governor's written statement the previous day.
The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office said, "Lawyer Kim Kwang-min posted on his SNS yesterday that the said lawyer 'denied to the media ever meeting Defendant Lee Hwa-young but then changed his statement to say he met Defendant Lee Hwa-young at the request of Lee Hwa-young's side.' Regarding this, the said lawyer clearly confirmed, 'Yesterday, Lee Hwa-young's side only stated to the media that the claim is groundless, and there is no fact that I ever said to the media that I never met Defendant Lee Hwa-young, so lawyer Kim Kwang-min's claim is false.'"
The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office warned, "Defendant Lee Hwa-young and lawyer Kim Kwang-min must now stop continuously generating false suspicions that undermine the trust in the investigation and trial by denying even the basic facts and the statements they themselves made in court as described above."
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