'Violation of Public Official Election Act' Choi Kang-wook's First Trial to Conclude Next Month (Comprehensive)

Choi "I don't know whose case this is"

Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, who was indicted on charges of disseminating false information during last year's general election, is attending a trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 30th. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The first trial of Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, who was indicted for spreading false information during the election campaign for the April 15 general election last year, is expected to conclude next month.

On the 30th, the 21-2 Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Sang-yeon) announced that in the first trial of Choi, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act, they decided to continue the trial once more instead of concluding the evidence investigation as originally planned that day, and will complete all hearings by the 13th of next month. In the next hearing, the defendant interrogation of Choi will take place, followed by the prosecution's sentencing recommendation. Choi will then make his final statement.

Earlier, Choi ran in the April 15 general election last year and was prosecuted for violating the Public Official Election Act for making statements on the Han Pancast broadcast suggesting that former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's son, Cho Mo, had actually interned, in response to allegations that a false law firm internship confirmation letter was issued for Cho Mo.

On this day, the prosecution presented testimonies from employees of the law firm where Choi previously worked, stating that "they have never seen Cho Mo working as an intern." They argued, "The immovable truth of this case is that no one saw Cho Mo at the law firm for 10 months," and "It is a fake career fabricated as needed (for graduate school admission). The creator is Professor Jeong Gyeong-shim, and Choi actively participated in this."

The prosecution also played the part of the podcast broadcast where Choi made the statement. Choi said in the broadcast, "(Cho Kuk's son) interned since he was a high school student. He came to the law firm since middle school, and I gave him experiential activity assignments from then on," and added, "The prosecution conducted 'prosecutorial politics' against me, who was in the Blue House Civil Affairs Office, ahead of the prosecution's senior personnel reshuffle."

On the other hand, the defense argued, "The defendant considered not only regular daily work but also assignments done at home broadly as internship activities," and "Experiential activities and internships are not clearly distinguishable. The prosecution seems to think that daily attendance is what defines an intern, but we do not see it that way."

Accordingly, the court decided to hear the case once more. The court stated, "It seems appropriate to hold an additional session rather than concluding today," and requested, "We will conduct additional evidence investigation or hear opinions from both sides. If defendant interrogation is deemed necessary, it can proceed, so both sides should prepare."

Regarding the possibility of defendant interrogation, the prosecution welcomed it, but Choi's side opposed it. The defense said, "It is not appropriate to impose additional burdens on the defendant who is already on trial for a similar case." Separately from this trial, Choi was sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation in the first trial last January for issuing a false internship confirmation letter for Cho Kuk's son, obstructing university affairs, and is awaiting the appeal trial.

Meanwhile, Choi said after leaving the courtroom, "I don't know if this case is mine or someone else's," and "It is obvious that this is intended to influence other cases, and today's evidence was not related to election law."

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