Kang Min-seok Spokesperson: "In Response to the Official 'Fact Inquiry Request' from Suwon High Court"
Gyeonggi Province announced that it submitted the materials requested by former Peace Vice Governor Ihwa-young’s side to the Suwon High Court on the 6th in relation to the ‘Ssangbangwool illegal remittance to North Korea’ case.
Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province, explained during a briefing on the 8th, "According to the Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies, information related to ongoing trials can be withheld from disclosure," adding, "Since both the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party have simultaneously requested the same materials regarding the case, there is a risk of political misuse. Moreover, as there have been cases where public officials were prosecuted due to data leaks, Gyeonggi Province has adhered to the principle of non-disclosure under the Information Disclosure Act and related laws."
However, Spokesperson Kang added, "According to Article 272, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Procedure Act, if the court accepts the defense counsel’s request for a fact inquiry and demands the submission of materials from a public agency, the public agency must submit the materials," and "This submission of materials was made in response to the official ‘fact inquiry request’ from the Suwon High Court."
The Suwon High Court had previously sent a fact inquiry request letter to Gyeonggi Province on the 26th of last month, stating that it was necessary for the trial of former Peace Vice Governor Ihwa-young’s case.
Spokesperson Kang explained, "In accordance with legal procedures, Gyeonggi Province sent the materials to the Suwon High Court," and added, "The materials sent by Gyeonggi Province to the court include three items: the list of North Korean delegates sent by the Chosun Asia-Pacific Peace Committee to the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association in 2019, the invitation letter and airline ticket issuance details sent by the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association to the North Korean delegates, and the settlement statement for the ‘2019 Asia-Pacific International Conference for Peace and Prosperity’ prepared by the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association."
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