Lee Hwa-young, the former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has decided to appeal his four-month prison sentence for perjury related to allegations of a salmon party at the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office.
According to legal sources on June 22, Lee's legal team plans to submit an appeal to the 11th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court, which presided over the first trial.
The appeal will focus solely on the conviction for violating the National Assembly Witness Protection Act (perjury), for which he received a prison sentence. The defense team cited factual misinterpretation, legal misunderstanding, and inappropriate sentencing as reasons for the appeal, indicating they will vigorously contest the charges in the appellate court.
Conversely, they have chosen to accept the first trial court's decision to dismiss the abuse of power charges related to North Korean aid, foregoing an appeal on that matter.
Initially, the defense considered appealing this charge as well, seeking a complete exoneration. However, they decided to respect the court's ruling, which they interpreted as a warning against the prosecution's practice of unjustly fragmenting charges.
On June 20, the Suwon District Court, after a ten-day citizen participation trial—the first of its kind since the system's introduction—found Lee guilty of perjury. The jury's majority opinion (4 guilty, 3 not guilty) led the court to conclude that Lee's testimony lacked credibility. In contrast, the jury unanimously acquitted him of violating campaign finance laws, and the abuse of power charges were dismissed due to prosecutorial overreach.
Lee is accused of receiving over 300 million won in illegal political funds and bribes from the Ssangbangwool Group during the 2018 illegal remittance to North Korea, which occurred while Lee was involved in the administration of President Lee Jae-myung, who was then the Governor of Gyeonggi Province.
Subsequently, Lee claimed during his testimony in the National Assembly that the prosecutor in charge, Park Sang-yong, brought salmon and alcohol into the interrogation room to coerce him, sparking significant controversy.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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