No Woong-rae: "I Did Not Accept Bribes... The Seized Bundles of Cash Are a Creation of the Prosecution"

"Unsorted congratulatory and condolence money, prosecutors take out each one and turn them into bundles of cash"
"Branded as corrupt politicians... Will fairly contest and prove innocence"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 14th, No Woong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has been subject to a pre-arrest warrant request on charges of bribery and illegal political fund receipt, expressed his grievance, saying, "The prosecution fabricated evidence and branded me with a scarlet letter as if I had piled up black money at home and conducted a witch hunt," adding, "I did not receive any bribes."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

No said at a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office that day, "The bundles of cash seized from my house are nothing but a creation of the prosecution," and claimed, "The money collected bit by bit from relatives was instantly transformed into bundles and stacks of cash."

Earlier, the prosecution requested a pre-arrest warrant, alleging that No received 60 million won in bribes and illegal political funds from businessman Park.

Regarding the cash found at his residence, No stated, "The money consisted of 80 million won when my late father passed away, 120 million won when my mother-in-law passed away, and congratulatory money from two publishing celebrations," adding, "Some of it was kept in the original envelopes for congratulatory and condolence money without even opening them. However, the prosecution took money out of each envelope one by one, made bundles of cash, and stigmatized me as a corrupt politician." He continued, "It's as if I became a criminal before the trial even started," and insisted, "This is clear evidence fabrication and tampering."

He emphasized again, "I was labeled a lawbreaker simply because there was money at home, but was there really any money that was claimed to be bribes? In the end, there was none," and reiterated, "Among the congratulatory and condolence money at my residence, there was no bribe as the prosecution claims."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

No refuted point by point the allegations that he received 60 million won after five requests.

No explained, "The prosecution claims that I received tens of millions of won at the first personal meeting with the complainant, but what politician would readily accept such a large sum from a civilian they just met?" He added, "Also, the prosecution claims that the complainant came to my constituency office on a day not on my schedule and gave me money, but I was attending to other matters that day."

Regarding the claim that he received money in the presence of a third party, he said, "If the prosecution's claim is true, was this some proud occasion where money was openly given in a completely exposed setting?" and stated, "None of the five requests were related to my official duties."

He criticized, "The prosecution requested an arrest warrant based on the complainant's intentional testimony and weak logic without any physical evidence," calling it "simply a public trial aimed at humiliating me."

He added that the political prosecution's blade directed at him will not end there, urging the party, "We must unite firmly and resolutely resist the plot to dismantle and destroy the Democratic Party. This is a clear political case related to the fate of the Democratic Party."

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