"Revise the Indictment" - The Chaotic First Trial of Merge Point That Even the Prosecution Was Confused

First Trial Date: Prosecution's Repeated Lack of Preparation
Defense Also Fails to Fully Prepare Materials
Suspect Prevented from Responding

Amid concerns over significant losses for many affiliated individual business owners, excluding large retail corporations prepared for compensation due to the massive refund crisis of the payment platform Merge Point, the headquarters of 'Merge Point' in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 18th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Byungdon Yoo, Gyumin Oh] The first trial of the sibling CEOs of the ‘Merge Point’ operating company, accused of causing a large-scale refund suspension incident, ended with lackluster preparation from both the prosecution and defense.

The Criminal Division 11 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Seong Bo-gi) held the first hearing at 11 a.m. on the 8th regarding charges of fraud and violations of the Electronic Financial Transactions Act against Namhee Kwon (37), CEO of Merge Plus, and her younger brother Bokun Kwon (34).

During the trial, both sides exchanged arguments over suspicions of covering deficits with new funds, the scale of damages, and the Financial Services Commission’s business registration. Most of the exchanges involved the defense attorneys rebutting the prosecution’s points.

Contrary to the high public interest, both the prosecution and defense were repeatedly criticized by the court for inadequate preparation. The court ordered the prosecution to amend the indictment. The indictment submitted by the prosecution listed Bokun Kwon as the CEO of Merge Plus, but the facts of the case described Namhee Kwon as the CEO. The prosecution responded, "We will correct it by the next hearing."

At the end of the trial, when the court remarked, "There also seems to be an error regarding the timing of the crime," the prosecution again promised to make corrections. The prosecution, which must prove the charges, repeatedly made basic mistakes starting from the drafting of the indictment.

The defense attorneys for the Kwon siblings also appeared at the trial without properly preparing the trial materials. The defense explained that about six volumes out of 21 volumes of materials, including interrogation records, had not been copied, making it difficult for the defendants to respond. When the court asked for the reason, the defense replied, "Due to circumstances at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office, the remaining materials are scheduled to be copied around the 23rd to 25th," adding, "There were several issues such as the need to redact personal information."

Since they could not fully review the records, it seemed difficult to properly answer the court’s questions. When the defense hesitated to answer a question about Merge Plus’s revenue structure, Bokun Kwon stepped forward saying, "May I answer?" but was stopped by the court.

The next hearing is scheduled for the 11th of next month.

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