Kim Seong-tae and Collusion in Sending Money to North Korea: Anbu-su, President of the Asia-Pacific Association, Sentenced to Prison

Kim Sung-tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, and Ahn Bu-su, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association, who conspired to send hundreds of millions of won in foreign currency to North Korea, were sentenced to prison in the first trial. This is the first ruling on key figures related to the Ssangbangwool Group's remittance to North Korea case.

Chairman An Busoo of the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association. / Goyang=Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

On the 23rd, the Criminal Division 15 of Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jung-jae) sentenced Ahn Bu-su, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association, who was detained and indicted on charges of embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, obstruction of evidence, and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, to 3 years and 6 months in prison.

The court stated, "Even considering the necessity and importance of inter-Korean economic cooperation, it must be conducted within the principles of the rule of law. A large sum of money was arbitrarily provided, and the nature of the crime is not light. Among the approximately 1.2 billion won embezzled, about 700 million won in Gyeonggi Province subsidies are taxpayers' money, and due to the defendant's embezzlement, about 1,000 tons of flour promised to support nutritional meals for North Korean children were not delivered."

However, Ahn was acquitted of charges of instructing the concealment of evidence, such as hiding about ten office computer hard disks and North Korean paintings not declared to customs, after the prosecution's investigation intensified. The court reasoned that "it is a principle not to punish a person who requests others to conceal evidence related to their own criminal case unless it constitutes an abuse of the right to defense."

Previously, Ahn was indicted on charges of conspiring with former Ssangbangwool Group chairman Kim Sung-tae and others in December 2018 and January 2019 to deliver a total of about $210,000 (approximately 200 million won) and 1.8 million yuan (approximately 300 million won) to Kim Yong-chol, chairman of North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, and Song Myung-chul, deputy director, in China and North Korea. He was also charged with embezzling about 1.2 billion won received as Gyeonggi Province subsidies and Ssangbangwool Group donations between 2018 and 2019, using it for personal living expenses and entertainment.

Meanwhile, trials are ongoing for former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young, former Ssangbangwool Group chairman Kim Sung-tae, Ssangbangwool Vice Chairman Bang Yong-chul, and others regarding the Ssangbangwool Group's remittance to North Korea.

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