Kim Yong, former deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, who was sentenced to prison in the first trial for receiving illegal political funds and bribes from a private contractor involved in the Daejang-dong development project, will now stand trial without detention. This comes 160 days after he was detained in court in the first trial last November.
The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Baek Gang-jin, Judges Kim Seon-hee and Lee In-su) accepted Kim's bail request on the 8th. The court stated, "There is a substantial reason to grant bail." Bail refers to a system that suspends detention execution and releases a defendant in custody on the condition of paying a certain bail amount.
The court set conditions for bail including submitting a pledge related to attending trials and not tampering with evidence, and paying a bail deposit of 50 million won. His residence is restricted to his home, and any change requires court approval. He must comply with measures imposed by the court to prevent flight. Additionally, contact with investigation witnesses, trial witnesses, and other persons related to the case is prohibited, as is leaving the country without court permission.
Kim, considered a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is accused of conspiring with former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu from April to August 2021 to receive 847 million won in four installments from private contractor Nam Wook under the pretext of presidential primary election funds. He is also charged with receiving a total of 190 million won in four installments from Yoo between February 2013 and April 2014 while serving as a standing member of the Seongnam City Council’s Urban Construction Committee, in exchange for facilitating the establishment of the corporation and the Daejang-dong development project.
Kim was arrested and indicted in November 2022 on charges including violation of the Political Funds Act. He was released on bail in May last year during the first trial but was sentenced to five years in prison in November and had his bail revoked, resulting in his detention in court. The first trial court recognized 600 million won in illegal political funds and 70 million won in bribes as proven charges. Both Kim and the prosecution have appealed, and the second trial is currently underway.
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