Will the 'Changwon Spy Ring Case' Be Transferred Back to Seoul? Decision Planned for September

Prosecution and Defense Continue Disputes Over Retransfer and Evidence Admission

The decision on whether to re-transfer the so-called 'Changwon Spy Ring Case,' which was transferred from the Seoul Central District Court to the Changwon District Court in Gyeongnam, is expected to be made at the next hearing.

The Criminal Division 4 of the Changwon District Court (Presiding Judge Kim In-taek) announced this on the afternoon of the 22nd during the second pretrial hearing for four defendants, including Mr. A, who have been indicted on charges including violation of the National Security Act.

Following the first pretrial hearing in June, both the prosecution and the defense continued to clash over the issue of re-transferring the case during this session as well.

The prosecution stated, "The case was transferred to Changwon for intensive hearings, but currently, the Changwon District Court is not in a position to hold trials every week. If, as the defense claims, each witness examination takes 30 hours, this goes against the purpose of the transfer."

The defense responded, "It seems the court is considering moving on to the trial phase after completing pretrial procedures. To put an end to this unnecessary debate, we ask the court to clearly declare its intention to continue handling this case."

The court replied, "Given the current circumstances, there is no right to request a transfer, so there appears to be no basis for sending the case back to the Seoul Central District Court. Therefore, we will proceed here for now and make a final decision on the transfer by the next hearing."

The two sides also clashed over whether to admit as evidence the overseas video footage submitted by the prosecution and whether to make public the examination of 67 witnesses, most of whom are affiliated with the National Intelligence Service.

Changwon District Court, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Lee Seryoung

While scheduling the next hearing, the defense requested, "Please consider the overseas schedules and other trials of the three defense attorneys," to which the prosecution retorted, "Since you are co-counsel, will the trial not proceed if some are absent?" The tension continued, and during this exchange, spectators supporting the defendants booed the prosecutor.

After mediating between the two sides and requesting restraint from the spectators, the court decided to hold another pretrial hearing at 3 p.m. on September 12.

Previously, Mr. A and others were brought to trial on March 15 last year on charges of receiving operational funds under the direction of the Cultural Exchange Bureau, North Korea's main agency for operations against South Korea, and reporting domestic political situations to the North or engaging in anti-government activities, including calls for the resignation of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, since March 2016.

It was revealed that they formed an organization called the National Vanguard for Independent Reunification, mainly based in Changwon, and met with North Korean agents in countries such as Cambodia to receive instructions and operational funds.

The case was initially handled by the Seoul Central District Court, but was transferred to the Changwon District Court in April following a jurisdictional decision. The defendants were released on bail in December last year and remain out of custody.