Kim Hye-kyung, When Asked if She Paid for the Meal, Says "I Don't Remember"... Companion Says "We Didn't Coordinate the Meal Payment"

Regarding the allegation of "meal provision during the 2022 presidential primary" involving Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the spouse of a sitting member of the National Assembly who was present at the meal testified in court that "there was no coordination with the defendant regarding the method of meal payment."

Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act related to the 20th presidential election in 2022, is attending a trial held at the Suwon District Court in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the morning of the 22nd of last month.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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At the 8th trial session of Kim's case for violating the Public Official Election Act (prohibition of donation acts) held on the 3rd at Suwon District Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge Park Jeong-ho), the spouse A of a senior Democratic Party lawmaker was examined as a witness. A is the person who arranged a meeting on August 2, 2021, at a Chinese restaurant in Seoul to introduce Kim to the spouses of two former senior lawmakers.

The prosecution believes that Kim provided 104,000 won for the meals of A and two others who accompanied her, as well as two election campaign staff members who accompanied her.

When asked by the prosecutor, "As a spouse of a senior lawmaker, you knew that donation acts were strictly restricted during the election process. Did you coordinate in advance with the defendant on how to handle the meal expenses?" A answered, "Yes." Then A said, "I went out to pay for the meals of the other two spouses (excluding the defendant), but the payment had already been made."

When the prosecutor asked, "Then who do you think made the payment?" A replied, "I was in a hurry to move my car, so I didn't really think about it." When the prosecutor pressed, "If neither you nor the other two spouses paid, wouldn't that mean the defendant paid?" A answered, "While riding in the car, I thought maybe it was paid by the side of Kim Hye-kyung."

During the trial, the court also asked detailed questions about the payment method for the meals between the defendant and the witness on the day of the incident and around that time. A testified that about ten days before the incident, on July 20, 2021, she had a meal with Kim at another restaurant, and on that day, they paid separately.

The court asked, "Before this incident, you knew that you had to pay separately and calculated precisely, even if it was stingy. But on the day of the incident, about half a month later, there was a problem (not paying separately). Isn't it strange that you didn't realize this at the time?" A answered, "Because I was in a hurry to move my car, I didn't think about it then. I realized it afterward."

The court also confirmed the facts with Kim, who was seated in the defendant's seat, but Kim responded with "I don't remember." When the court continued questioning, the defense attorney suggested, "If necessary, we will ask about this during the defendant's examination."

During the morning session, the court also examined B, the driver who drove Kim's car during the primary period. B stated, "Until I heard from another staff member, lawyer C, that 'the principle is to pay for your own meal,' I did not know that I had to pay for my own meal. I never even thought about it."

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