Arguments Continue in Lee Hwa-young Trial as Key Witness Fails to Appear
The key issue in the Lee Hwa-young trial, the dispute over testimony about seedling support to North Korea, continues. Check the differences between the prosecution and the defendant’s positions amid Ahn Bu-soo’s absence and where the trial is headed.
In the trial related to Lee Hwayoung, former Gyeonggi Province peace vice governor, the former chairman of the AsiaPacific Peace Exchange Association, Ahn Busoo, who was adopted as a key witness, did not appear due to health reasons, and a dispute over testimony surrounding the North Korea treeseedling support project continued in court.
The Criminal Division 11 of the Suwon District Court heard charges including abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of official duties by deceit, and violation of the Local Finance Act on the 11th. The prosecution believes that former Vice Governor Lee falsely stated the purpose of the support while promoting Gyeonggi Province's North Korea treeseedling support project in 2018.
The court did not accept the admission of the recorded testimony Ahn had left in another case as evidence, and stated that it would make a decision again after confirming the possibility of Ahn's reappearance. Former Vice Governor Lee rebutted the past testimony of Ahn presented by the prosecution, saying it was untrue, and argued that he carried out the work with the approval of the Ministry of Unification and the Korea Forest Service.