Second Trial on Ulsan Mayor Election Interference Stalls Again... Tensions Over Inspection and Copying of Investigation Records

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The second trial regarding the allegations of election interference in the Ulsan mayoral election has stalled. This is due to a dispute between the prosecution and the defense over the inspection and copying of case records, amid disagreements on investigation and defense rights.

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21 (Presiding Judge Kim Miri) held the second pretrial hearing on the 29th for 13 defendants, including Song Cheol-ho, the Mayor of Ulsan, and Hwang Unha, the elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea (former Chief of Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency), who were indicted on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act. Attendance of the defendants was not mandatory at the pretrial hearing, so Mayor Song and others did not appear in court.

The prosecution stated, "Co-conspirator and related investigations are ongoing," but added, "The investigation is delayed as related parties, including the police, are refusing to appear, making it difficult to advance the timing for inspection and copying of case records."

At the first pretrial hearing last month, the prosecution also stated, "Regarding conspiracy charges, we have decided to partially separate five cases involving 20 people, and investigations are ongoing for the rest," and "Due to reasons such as witness protection and obstruction of investigation, it is not possible to inspect or copy all case records."

In response, the defense argued, "All defendants deny the charges, so there is a high possibility of disagreement with the statements of the investigators," and "Allowing inspection and copying of the case records will not hinder the investigation."

The prosecution also expressed the opinion that former Blue House Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok, who was excluded from the January indictment and is currently a suspect, should be tried together with this case if brought to trial. The prosecution said, "There is a large amount of common evidence related to this case and the cases expected to be indicted in the future, so it seems preferable to consolidate rather than separate the trials."

However, the defense countered, "Consolidation would rather prolong the trial." They also reiterated their request, saying, "For the defendants' rightful defense rights, at least their own statements and related documents should be provided."

After hearing both sides, the court decided to hold one more pretrial hearing on July 24 to confirm whether the case records can be inspected and copied, and then discuss the key issues and trial procedures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.