Ewhayeong Appears Alone in North Korea Remittance Trial, Requests "Opportunity to Appoint Defense Counsel"

Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province and a key figure in Ssangbangwool Group's North Korea remittance case, appeared in court on the 22nd and said, "It is currently difficult to persuade my family and the law firm Haegwang," adding, "I will make sure to create a situation where I can receive legal assistance and stand trial."

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

Lee appeared alone without legal counsel at the 43rd hearing held at 10 a.m. by the Criminal Division 11 of Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Shin Jin-woo) regarding charges including violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. Previously, the lawyers from law firm Haegwang who had been representing Lee submitted their resignation to the court the day before and did not attend the hearing.

The court asked Lee, "Since your lawyers are not present, you cannot make a defense on your own," and inquired, "There are several lawyers listed in the case records; what is your relationship with them?" Lee replied, "I do not know exactly how many there are. I am not sure if they were retained initially and have been continuously maintained," and requested, "Given the current situation, I think I must follow the court's position. Please give me an opportunity to appoint a private defense attorney."

The scheduled witness examination of Kim Sung-tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, was postponed to the afternoon. Ahn Bu-soo, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace Cooperation Association, did not appear in court. The court emphasized to Lee that "you must appoint a lawyer."

Currently, Lee does not have a lawyer to assist him in the trial. Although two lawyers, including Hyun Geun-taek, remain listed as Lee's attorneys in the records, they have only attended Lee's prosecution interrogations a few times and have never participated in the trial. Article 12, Paragraph 4 of the Constitution stipulates that a suspect who is arrested or detained has the right to legal assistance, and if they cannot secure a lawyer, the state must appoint one according to the law.

If Lee does not appoint a private defense attorney by the end of the day, the court is expected to decide to appoint a public defender. The prosecution may also request the appointment of a public defender again on this day. Earlier, on the 8th, as the trial repeatedly stalled due to attorney issues, the prosecution requested the court to "take measures so that the defendant can proceed with the next trial even through a public defender."

The trial is expected to normalize only after Lee's appointment of legal counsel is finalized, likely on the 29th. The prosecution's plan to summon Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, for investigation based on Lee Hwa-young's court testimony is also likely to be postponed by another week. Lee recently testified during prosecution interrogation that "Ssangbangwool requested the Gyeonggi Province governor to visit North Korea," and reported that "to then-Governor Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, I conveyed that Ssangbangwool spent money in North Korea for business and that we also paid attention to the governor's visit to North Korea," drawing attention. Lee had planned to make similar statements in court but was unable to speak for about a month due to the sudden actions of his lawyers.

If Lee reiterates this position in court, the Criminal Division 6 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-nam) is expected to summon Lee Jae-myung in early to mid-next month. Based on Lee Hwa-young's statements and evidence, the prosecution believes that Ssangbangwool sent $3 million to North Korea in 2019 to facilitate then-Governor Lee's visit, constituting a third-party bribery charge. After the investigation, it is reported that the prosecution will discuss combining this case with the 'Baekhyeon-dong Development Corruption' case under the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1 of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Eom Hee-joon) and filing a detention warrant.

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