Ewhayeong "Attorney appointment not yet... will try to complete by next week"

Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, who was indicted in connection with Ssangbangwool Group's 'North Korea remittance' case, revealed on the 29th that he has not yet appointed a lawyer for the trial. The court, concerned about delays in the trial, ordered Lee to appoint both private and public defenders simultaneously and to divide roles to quickly grasp the case.

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

The 11th Criminal Division of Suwon District Court (Chief Judge Shin Jin-woo) held the 44th hearing on the charges against Lee, including bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes and violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, and confirmed whether he had appointed a lawyer.

Lee stated, "I currently do not have a lawyer, but I am making efforts," and added, "I will try to appoint a private lawyer by next week if possible." He also mentioned, "The number could be one or two." In response, the court reiterated its stance that "there should be no further delays in the trial," and expressed doubts, saying, "Even if a private lawyer is appointed, it is questionable whether one or two lawyers can sufficiently understand the case." The court further added, "There is no need to immediately withdraw the public defender upon appointing a private lawyer. It seems appropriate to proceed with a division of roles, considering the public defender as well."

The prosecution requested the court to increase the hearings from once a week to twice a week. They emphasized the need to expedite the trial not only for Lee but also for Bang Yong-chul, chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, who was indicted together and whose detention period is nearing expiration. They also asked the court to appoint an additional public defender and proceed with the evidence investigation process. Lee's trial had been stalled for over a month due to conflicts with his wife, Baek, over the 'dismissal of counsel' issue, following the revelation around June that he admitted some connection to Ssangbangwool's North Korea remittance and reversed some statements. There were also unexpected developments with Lee's lawyers resigning one after another.

Kim Kwang-min, a lawyer who recently visited Lee at Suwon Detention Center, told reporters after attending the trial, "We are discussing so that Lee's wife and the private defense team can be appointed," and added, "The goal is for the lawyer to actually attend the trial next week."

Meanwhile, during the morning session, Ahn Bu-soo, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association, appeared as a witness and underwent a closed-door examination. The questioning of Chairman Ahn was switched to a closed session because classified National Intelligence Service documents were to be presented. In a previous hearing, Ahn testified, "Lee promised North Korean officials to support the smart farm project funds, but failed to fulfill this, causing Kim Seong-hye, director of the North Korean Korean Asia-Pacific Committee, to be in a difficult position, and I reported all this to the National Intelligence Service."

After the witness examination of Chairman Ahn concludes, the court plans to proceed with documentary evidence investigation at the prosecution's request, concerned about trial delays. Documentary evidence investigation is a procedure where documents submitted as evidence by the prosecution, which have been accepted with the defendants' consent, are disclosed in court and the purpose of their admission is explained.

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