Prosecutors Requested Appearance from Lee Hwa-young's Son over 'Employment Favoritism Allegations' but He Did Not Comply

The prosecution investigating allegations of employment favoritism involving the son of former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young has reportedly requested the son to appear multiple times, but he has not responded.

Former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 9th, the Criminal Division 6 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-nam) recently notified Mr. A, the son of the former deputy governor, several times to appear as a witness for questioning. Mr. A has not yet responded to these notifications, so the investigation has not proceeded.

Mr. A is suspected of having been employed at an entertainment agency affiliated with Ssangbangwool Group at the request of his father, former Deputy Governor Lee. It has been confirmed that he worked at the entertainment agency for about a year starting from October 2020, when Lee served as the CEO of KINTEX, a public institution under Gyeonggi Province. The allegations against Mr. A surfaced in September last year during the pre-trial detention hearing for Lee, who was accused of receiving bribes worth hundreds of millions of won from Ssangbangwool Group. At that time, the prosecution reportedly argued for Lee's detention, citing the possibility of additional bribery charges, including employment favoritism.

Bang Yong-chul, vice chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, who was indicted and detained on charges of bribing former Deputy Governor Lee, recently testified in court that he employed Lee's son at an affiliate company at Lee's request.

Last month, the prosecution summoned an employee of the entertainment agency as a witness to question the circumstances of Mr. A's hiring and whether there was any quid pro quo involved.

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