[Breaking] Former Vice Governor Ihwa-yeong Sentenced to 7 Years 8 Months in 2nd Trial for 'North Korea Remittance' Case

Former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young. Photo by Yonhap News

Former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young, who was arrested and indicted on charges of receiving bribes worth hundreds of millions of won from Ssangbangwool Group and conspiring to remit $8 million to North Korea, was sentenced to a heavy prison term in the appellate court as well.

The Criminal Division 1 of Suwon High Court (Presiding Judges Moon Ju-hyung, Kim Min-sang, Kang Young-jae) sentenced Lee to 7 years and 8 months in prison on the afternoon of the 19th during the appellate trial for charges including violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery), violation of the Political Funds Act, and obstruction of justice by evidence destruction.

Earlier, on June 1, the first trial court found Lee guilty of major charges and sentenced him to 9 years and 6 months in prison (1 year and 6 months for violation of the Political Funds Act and 8 years for bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes), along with a fine of 250 million won and a confiscation of 325.95 million won.

At the sentencing hearing held at the end of October, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Lee to 15 years in prison and impose a fine of 1 billion won, the same as the demand made during the first trial.