Former Suwon Deputy Mayor Hyun Geun Taek, who resigned to run for mayor of Yongin in next year’s local elections, faces a recommended prison sentence for allegedly leaking documents related to the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance controversy.
Legal sources reported on Tuesday that the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office has recommended a 1-year and 6-month sentence for Hyun.
Judge Gong Hyun Jin of the Suwon District Court concluded proceedings on November 28 against Hyun, who was charged with violating the Criminal Procedure Act and the Personal Information Protection Act.
Hyun allegedly provided prosecution evidence documents to the Democratic Party without authorization in February 2023. These documents, copied during the trial of former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young, were unrelated to lawsuit preparation and ended up on the party’s website.
In March, Hyun faced additional charges for copying and sharing a witness testimony transcript containing personal information with the Democratic Party. This information subsequently appeared on Lee Jae Myung’s social media accounts, the party leader.
During the trial, Hyun pleaded not guilty, arguing that the investigation and prosecution should be dismissed. His defense cited Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Prosecutors’ Office Act and Article 198, Paragraph 4 of the Criminal Procedure Act as grounds for dismissal.
Hyun’s legal team argued that the prosecution’s case centers on the leak of the Nanos investment report and witness testimony transcript from the Lee Hwa-young case. They contended that the key issue is relevance, asserting that this case is unrelated to Lee Hwa Young’s.
The defense further stated that the Nanos investment report is publicly available online and that the witness’s testimony has already been given in open court.
Hyun’s sentencing is scheduled for January 13 at 2 PM next year.
Before his recent resignation on Friday to run for Yongin mayor, Hyun served as Second Deputy Mayor of Suwon. His political career includes roles as Deputy Director of the Democratic Party’s Policy Research Institute, Vice Chair of the Policy Committee, and Deputy Spokesperson of the Central Party.