On the 8th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon criticized, "Former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young received a guilty verdict in the first trial for illegal remittances to North Korea, yet Lee Jae-myung, the (Democratic Party) governor of Gyeonggi Province at the time, remains silent," adding, "Silence at such a moment is not golden but cowardly."
Mayor Oh wrote on Facebook that day, "As I work as the mayor of Seoul, I know well that it is unthinkable for a deputy governor to handle such a significant matter of this scale without the governor's knowledge."
He continued, "Why do only strange incidents happen around Governor Lee Jae-myung, such as Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, and illegal remittances to North Korea?" and urged, "(Representative Lee) should no longer hide behind the Democratic Party and his position as leader but step forward before the people and reveal all the facts in detail."
The Suwon District Court sentenced former Deputy Governor Lee to 9 years and 6 months in prison, finding him guilty of charges including the Ssangbangwool Group paying for Lee Jae-myung’s North Korea visit expenses on behalf of the North Korean side while Lee was governor. The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office is investigating whether Lee was involved in the payment process.
Lee, who appeared at the Seoul Central District Court the previous day for a trial related to allegations of preferential development in Daejang-dong, did not respond to reporters’ questions after the trial ended.
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