Trial of 'Cheongwadae Ulsan Mayor Election Interference and Directed Investigation' Case Likely to Prolong... 2nd Hearing Ends After 50 Minutes

Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho, who has been indicted on charges related to the Blue House's ordered investigation and election interference allegations, is attending the first trial held on the afternoon of the 10th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The trial concerning the Blue House's alleged 'intervention in the Ulsan mayoral election and ordered investigation' is expected to be prolonged.

Since the prosecution considers it necessary to question more than 25 witnesses, and some defendants have yet to organize their positions on evidence or charges by the second trial date, along with numerous legal disputes anticipated regarding the statute of limitations under the Public Official Election Act, it is expected that a considerable amount of time will be required before a final conclusion is reached.

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 21-3 (Presiding Judges Jang Yong-beom, Ma Seong-young, Kim Sang-yeon) held the second trial on the 24th for Song Cheol-ho, Mayor of Ulsan, Song Byung-gi, former Vice Mayor of Ulsan, Lee Jin-seok, Director of the Blue House National Situation Room, Han Byung-do, former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, and others, who were indicted on charges including violations of the Public Official Election Act.

In addition to these individuals, key defendants such as Hwang Un-ha, member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Park Hyung-cheol, former Blue House Anti-Corruption Secretary, all appeared in court.

The court stated, "Some defendants' attorneys have not expressed opinions regarding the evidence," and added, "Since the court can decide on the admissibility of evidence only after receiving the attorneys' opinions, please submit your opinions on the evidence as soon as possible."

It continued, "Unless additional opinions on the evidence are presented, it will be difficult to proceed further," and concluded the trial 50 minutes after it began.

The court set the next trial date for the 14th of next month and stated, "If opinions on the evidence are organized by the next trial date, we will hold a hearing as early as July to conduct documentary evidence examination."

The attorney for Lee Jin-seok, who was scheduled to state his position on the charges that day, said, "The records are extensive, so I have not been able to review everything," and added, "I will submit a written opinion regarding the charges before the next trial date."

The prosecution revealed its plan to prove the charges, stating, "About 25 defense attorneys do not agree to the use of the prosecution's statements as evidence, and this number is expected to increase."

Additionally, the prosecution indicated that evidence examination is necessary in four areas: ▲ ordered investigation ▲ abuse of authority ▲ candidate bribery ▲ and leakage of internal documents from Ulsan City Hall.

The prosecution also rebutted the claim made by Mayor Song and former Vice Mayor Song during the first trial that the statute of limitations under the Public Official Election Act had expired.

Their attorneys argued in previous trials that since Mayor Song and others were private citizens at the time, the six-month statute of limitations from the election day (June 13, 2018) should apply, and that the prosecution's indictment in January 2020, more than six months after the election day, was therefore improper.

However, the prosecution stated on this day, "According to the legislative intent of the Public Official Election Act, the statute of limitations for election intervention crimes should be ten years regardless of whether the person is a public official or not," and added, "Since the two are co-principal offenders, a ten-year statute of limitations should apply to both."

The next trial is scheduled for 10 a.m. on the 14th of next month.

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