Handonghun: "Ewhayeong Trial Disruption, Judicial Obstruction Like Mafia Movie"

Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, criticized the repeated disruptions in the trial regarding the allegations of illegal remittances to North Korea involving Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, saying, "Trying to silence court testimony unfavorable to the boss is an extreme attempt to destroy evidence seen in mafia movies and constitutes obstruction of justice."

On the 9th, when the pardon review committee for the 'Gwangbokjeol Special Pardon' was held, Han Dong-hoon, the Minister of Justice and chairman of the committee, was answering reporters' questions while commuting to the Government Complex Gwacheon.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the 9th, before attending the Ministry of Justice's pardon review committee meeting at the Government Complex Gwacheon, Minister Han told reporters, "This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in an open court in broad daylight where the public can see everything."

The "boss" Minister Han referred to is interpreted as Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

The trial held the previous day at the Suwon District Court stalled when Kim Hyeong-tae, attorney from the law firm Deoksu representing the former deputy governor, submitted evidence opinions and a motion to disqualify the presiding judge, as well as a resignation letter, all without the defendant's consent, and then left the courtroom.

During earlier prosecution investigations, the former deputy governor reportedly reversed his previous stance by testifying that he had reported to then-Governor Lee Jae-myung, saying, "Ssangbangwool was conducting business and sending money to North Korea, so I think our (governor's) visit to North Korea was also taken care of."

Regarding the Democratic Party's 'party convention cash envelope scandal,' Minister Han responded to the allegations that some lawmakers who were accused of receiving cash envelopes from independent lawmaker Yoon Kwan-seok, who was detained, leaked the list of involved members to the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), saying, "The person who distributed the cash envelopes was arrested, right?" and added, "The prosecution will conduct the investigation according to procedures."

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