Shaved Kwon Do-hyung's Defense in 'Fake Passport' Trial: "I Didn't Know, Traveled Worldwide with Passport"

"Trusted because a friend recommended the agency"
Defense in Montenegro forged passport trial

"I thought all the passports were genuine. If I had suspected they were forged, I would not have traveled to multiple countries."

Kwon Do-hyung (32), CEO of Terraform Labs and a key figure in the 'Terra·Luna' crash incident, who was caught trying to use forged passports at Montenegro airport, claimed in court that he did not know the passports in question were forged.

Kwon Do-hyung, CEO of Terraform Labs, is heading to the Podgorica District Court in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, on the 16th (local time) to attend a trial related to a forged passport case.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to Yonhap News on the 16th (local time), Kwon appeared at the Podgorica District Court in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, for the trial regarding the forged passport case.

He stated, "I received the Costa Rican passport after preparing all the documents through an agency in Singapore recommended by a friend," and "I obtained the Belgian passport through a different agency."

He added, "When I applied for a Grenada passport through that agency, I was rejected, but the Costa Rican passport application was accepted, so there was no reason to be suspicious," emphasizing, "Also, since the agency was recommended by a trustworthy friend, I trusted the agency."

Kwon, who entered the courtroom with his hair cut very short, almost shaved, said, "I traveled around the world with the Costa Rican passport," and "There were no issues crossing the Montenegro border. For that reason, I never doubted the authenticity of the passport."

When asked by the judge about the name of the agency, Kwon replied, "It was in Chinese, so I don't remember exactly." He also insisted on the innocence of his associate Han, who was arrested with him, requesting, "If I am to be punished for the forged passport, please let it be only me."

Han also said, "I trusted Mr. Kwon thoroughly and believed the agency would handle everything legally."

He further claimed that people who invest heavily in other countries can obtain an 'economic passport,' mentioning that such systems exist in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Portugal, and that in Montenegro, one can receive a passport within a few months by paying 250,000 euros (about 350 million KRW).

The prosecution argued, "If the passports were not issued by legitimate authorities," it is clear they were made with bad intentions, and requested the court to punish them accordingly.

Kwon and Han have been held at the Spu? Detention Center on the outskirts of Podgorica for nearly three months since their arrest on March 23. They applied for bail last month, but the higher court, Podgorica High Court, extended their detention by six months citing the need to secure custody for the extradition trial.

In his final statement, Kwon told the judge, "It's hard because I have no one to talk to," and requested, "Please let me share a room with Mr. Han."

However, the judge rejected the request, saying it was not an issue to be debated in this trial and told Kwon to have his lawyer explain why they should not share a room.

The trial, which lasted about an hour and a half, was conducted in Montenegrin. Kwon and others conveyed their statements in English through an interpreter named Selman Azovi?.

The judge announced that the verdict would be delivered at 2 p.m. on the 19th. Kwon and Han were arrested on March 23 at Podgorica International Airport while attempting to board a charter flight to Dubai, UAE, using forged Costa Rican passports and have been prosecuted for forgery of official documents.

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