The court overseeing the third-party bribery charges against former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young and others, in connection with the Ssangbangwool Group’s North Korea remittance, has sought opinions from both the prosecution and defense regarding the potential double jeopardy for defendant Kim Sung-tae.
On Tuesday, the 11th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court, presided over by Judge Song Byeong-hoon, convened the second hearing in the bribery case against former Deputy Governor Lee and Kim, ex-chairman of the Ssangbangwool Group, under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
During the proceedings, the court noted that Kim’s foreign exchange law violation case is currently under appeal. They questioned whether the current bribery allegations involving Lee Jae Myung and Lee Hwa-young might constitute double jeopardy, given the similarities in actions, timing, recipients, and amounts.
The prosecution countered, arguing that despite overlapping actions, the legislative intent and criminal structures of the foreign exchange law violation and the current bribery case differ, making them distinct offenses.
The court, however, reiterated that based on the charges alone, the case appears to involve concurrent offenses. They requested both parties to submit their views on this matter by the next hearing.
Former Deputy Governor Lee was absent from the hearing due to health concerns. Additionally, a scheduled witness examination of Ahn Boo-soo, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association, was postponed due to his non-appearance.
The next hearing for former Deputy Governor Lee and other defendants is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (South Korean time) on February 12.
Former Deputy Governor Lee is accused of conspiring with then-Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae Myung to have former Chairman Kim cover 5 million USD for a North Korea-bound smart farm project and 3 million USD for the governor’s North Korea visit expenses. Prosecutors allege that President Lee and former Deputy Governor Lee promised Kim support and guarantees from Gyeonggi Province for his group’s North Korean ventures in exchange.
In a previous case, former Deputy Governor Lee was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months in prison in June 2025 for accepting bribes from the Ssangbangwool Group and involvement in the 8 million USD North Korea remittance scheme.
Former Chairman Kim, indicted for allegedly transferring 8 million USD to North Korea (violating foreign exchange laws), received a 2.5-year prison sentence and a 1-year suspended sentence for violating political funding laws in the first trial. His appeal is ongoing.
Post-verdict, prosecutors filed additional charges against former Chairman Kim for third-party bribery involving President Lee and others in the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case.
