The trial of Ihwa-young, halted due to judge recusals, resumes after 77 days

The trial of former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young, which had been suspended due to a request for recusal of the judge amid allegations of bribery and illegal remittances to North Korea, will resume on the 9th. This marks 77 days since the trial was halted in October last year.

Former Ewha-young Lee, Vice Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 4th, the Criminal Division 11 of Suwon District Court (Chief Judge Shin Jin-woo) will hold a hearing on the bribery, violation of the Political Funds Act, and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act charges against former Deputy Governor Lee, which had been suspended since the 50th hearing on October 24 last year, starting at 10 a.m. on the 9th.

The defense team of former Deputy Governor Lee filed a request for recusal of the judge, citing reasons such as the trial panel's failure to fulfill the duty to clarify unclear issues and allowing witness examinations on facts not charged, which led to prejudgment, after conducting the trial for over a year.

However, the Supreme Court recently rejected the defense’s petition for reconsideration of the judge recusal request, stating that "there is no reason for re-appeal."

During the trial on the 9th, it is expected that the prosecution will conduct cross-examinations of former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Sung-tae and Chairman Ahn Bu-soo of the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association, which were not completed in the previous hearings.

After the prosecution’s witness examinations conclude, the trial will proceed with witness examinations for witnesses requested by the defense, completion of evidence investigation, and then sentencing after the closing arguments.

Since the prosecution recently requested an intensive hearing from the trial panel, there is speculation that the first trial verdict could be announced as early as February, before the judicial personnel reshuffle.

However, since the defense lawyer of former Deputy Governor Lee has expressed that they cannot accept a verdict from the current trial panel, it is uncertain whether the trial will proceed as expected.

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