"No Sign of a Reflective Attitude"
The prosecution has requested a two-year prison sentence for Choi Jae-won, the former head of the Yongsan District Health Center (59), who was indicted for instructing an employee to falsely record the arrival time at the Itaewon disaster site.
Choi Jae-won, director of Yongsan Public Health Center, is attending the trial related to false reporting of the Itaewon disaster held at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 13th, at the sentencing hearing presided over by Judge Ma Eun-hyuk of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 1, the prosecution asked for a two-year prison sentence for Choi, who was charged with forgery and use of electronic records.
The prosecution pointed out, "The defendant is shifting responsibility to the employees, claiming they carelessly approved the documents and were unaware that the arrival time was incorrect," adding, "He denies the crime and shows no remorse, indicating a poor attitude toward the offense."
In response, Choi's defense attorney maintained the previous claim that Choi never instructed employees to falsely record his arrival time at the site and did not recognize the statements in the report as false.
The defense emphasized, "There was neither the intent to forge electronic records by inputting false information to mishandle the accident nor the intent to use such forged records." In his final statement, Choi bowed his head and said, "As a public official, I deeply regret standing here today."
Choi was indicted last March on charges of instructing employees to record his arrival time at the Itaewon disaster site as 11:30 p.m. on October 29, 2022?about 30 minutes earlier than the actual time?in five reports. The prosecution determined that Choi actually left his home at 11:25 p.m. that day, stopped by the Yongsan District Office duty room at 11:54 p.m. to put on civil defense clothing, and then rode in an ambulance with rapid response team members, arriving at the accident site at 12:06 a.m. on the following day, October 30.
Choi’s sentencing is scheduled for January 8 of next year.
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