Prosecutors Seek Heavy Sentences Again in Appeal for Former KCTU Executives on Espionage Charges

"Publicly Available Data Is Not a State Secret," Defense Argues
"KCTU Activities Should Not Be Distorted or Stigmatized"

Court. Asia Economy DB

Prosecutors have requested the same sentence as the original trial?20 years in prison and 20 years of disqualification?for a former executive of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) who was convicted of espionage and received a heavy sentence in the first trial, during the appeal hearing.

On April 22, at the sentencing hearing for four individuals charged with violating the National Security Act?including Seok (54), former Director of Organization and Struggle at the KCTU; Kim (50), former Head of Organization at the KCTU-affiliated Health and Medical Workers’ Union; Yang (56), former Vice Chair of the KCTU-affiliated Metal Workers’ Union; and Shin (53), former Head of Organization at a KCTU-affiliated federation?the Criminal Division 2-3 of the Suwon High Court (Presiding Judges Park Gwangseo, Kim Minki, and Kim Jongwoo) heard the case. Prosecutors asked the court to impose the same sentences as those sought in the original trial.

Prosecutors also requested sentences of 10 years in prison and 10 years of disqualification, down to 3 years in prison and 3 years of disqualification, for three other defendants including Kim, former Head of Organization at the Health and Medical Workers’ Union, who were tried together in this case.

The defendants continued to assert their innocence during the appeal. Seok’s attorney argued in the final defense, “The original trial recognized the existence of an underground organization (jisa) as a premise, even though the prosecution did not indict on that basis, and judged this case as if it was organized activity, but there is no such entity. Furthermore, the information collected by the defendant cannot be considered military or state secrets.”

The attorney also stated, “I have been practically engaged in improving the actual working conditions of workers. I earnestly ask the court to make a balanced judgment so that this case is not excessively interpreted under the framework of the National Security Act, leading to distortion or stigmatization of KCTU activities.”

In his final statement, Shin said, “The National Intelligence Service followed and monitored me for six years, and investigative agencies reportedly seized about 1,600 items. However, none of these were related to the charges. Despite this, the prosecutor claims there is a risk of evidence destruction in the appeal. I ask for a wise judgment.”

Seok and the others were indicted and detained in May 2023 on charges of receiving instructions from North Korea between 2017 and 2022, engaging in espionage activities under the guise of union work, and meeting North Korean agents in countries such as China and Cambodia.

The investigation by prosecutors, the National Intelligence Service, and the National Police Agency secured 90 instructions from North Korea and 24 reports to North Korea. The sentencing for Seok and the others is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on the 13th of next month.