'Cup Ramen Trial' Ostem Implant Embezzlement Hearing

Chief Judge Kim Dong-hyun, who presided over the controversial sentencing in the 'Wonyoung Incident'

Defendant's side claims "Unable to review investigation records"
Trial ended after only the admission of evidence procedure

Frontline lawyers call it a "3-minute rushed trial"

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho, Byeongdon Yoo] A "3-minute trial," often likened to a "cup noodle trial," occurred in a criminal court. The term "3-minute trial" originates from criminal cases where the defendant undergoes a plea hearing and receives the final sentence recommendation in exactly three minutes. It is also used as a synonym for a rushed and superficial trial that fails to guarantee the defendant's adequate right to defense, thereby sowing distrust in the judiciary.

On the 2nd, the first hearing was held at the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 14 (Presiding Judge Donghyun Kim) for Ohstem Implant’s finance team leader Lee Mo, who is accused of embezzling 221.5 billion won of company funds (under the Specific Economic Crimes Act). The trial ended in "exactly" three minutes. Only the plea hearing procedure confirming the defendant’s name, address, and occupation was conducted.

In a first hearing, it is customary for the prosecution to read the charges and for the defense to respond to the allegations. However, Lee’s side stated that they had "not been allowed to review or copy the prosecution’s investigation records," and as a result, the subsequent procedures could not proceed and the hearing was ended early.

It is common in criminal cases for the defense to delay presenting opinions at the first trial due to issues with reviewing or copying investigation records. However, postponing even the prosecution’s reading of charges to the next session is unusual. When the defense is not permitted to review or copy investigation records before the first hearing after indictment, the court often orders the prosecution to promptly allow access to ensure smooth trial proceedings. Such a measure was not observed from Presiding Judge Kim Donghyun on this day. A lawyer in Seocho-dong commented, "This was a rushed trial, aptly described as a '3-minute trial.'"

Another legal professional said, "In the reality where a single court handles dozens of cases a day, the bittersweet term '3-minute trial' has emerged." On this day, the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 14 also heard several other cases. However, there is criticism regarding the fact that such an important case, which caused numerous investor losses, was concluded in just three minutes. One lawyer said, "When the court has not sufficiently studied the case, such rushed trials often occur," adding, "From the court’s perspective, proceeding slowly with cases is more convenient for their workload."

Presiding Judge Kim has previously faced criticism inside and outside the judiciary for his trial conduct and rulings. In 2016, at the Pyeongtaek Branch of Suwon District Court, he sentenced the stepmother in the "Wonyoung case"?where 7-year-old Shin Wonyoung was confined in a bathroom for months, subjected to bleach abuse and cold water dousing, and ultimately died, with the body secretly buried?to 20 years in prison. The ruling sparked controversy as it recognized murder but imposed a sentence far lighter than the prosecution’s demand of life imprisonment. This verdict was overturned on appeal.

While serving as a judge responsible for warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, he was also involved in controversy regarding warrant issuance decisions. Earlier, in July 2020, he issued an arrest warrant for former Channel A reporter Dongjae Lee, who was detained on attempted coercion charges, and faced backlash over the reasons given for the warrant. Judge Kim stated at the time, "Detention is unavoidable to restore trust between the media and prosecution," but within the legal community, questions arose about the relevance of restoring media and prosecution trust as a justification for issuing the warrant.

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