The court overseeing the Ssangbangwool North Korean remittance case, involving former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young and others on charges of third-party bribery, has dismissed the indictment against former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Sung-tae.
On Thursday, the 11th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court, presided over by Judge Song Byeong-hoon, issued a dismissal of charges for Kim, who faced allegations including bribery.
During the second hearing of the case on January 13, the court sought opinions from both the prosecution and the defense regarding the potential double jeopardy for Kim.
The court noted that the case concerning Kim’s violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act is currently under appeal, while this case deals with bribery allegations against Lee Jae Myung and Lee Hwa-young. The actions, dates, recipients, and amounts are nearly identical. Could this not constitute double jeopardy?
The prosecution argued that despite overlapping actions, the cases differ in legislative intent and crime structure, making them separate offenses. However, the court rejected this claim, stating that these cases are in a relationship of ideal concurrence, where a single act constitutes multiple offenses.
The court concluded that this indictment appears to be a re-prosecution of a previously filed case.
This case alleges that the former deputy governor conspired with President Lee, then governor of Gyeonggi Province, to have Kim pay 5 million USD for a smart farm project intended for North Korea and 3 million USD for a gubernatorial visit to North Korea in 2019.
Prosecutors believe that President Lee and former Deputy Governor Lee promised Kim support and guarantees from Gyeonggi Province for SsangbangwoolGroup’s North Korean ventures in exchange for these payments.
Former Deputy Governor Lee was convicted of accepting bribes worth hundreds of millions of KRW and conspiring to remit 8 million USD to North Korea. In June 2025, he received a 7-year and 8-month prison sentence, which he is currently serving.
Former Chairman Kim was also indicted for allegedly transferring 8 million USD to North Korea (violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act). In July 2024, he was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison, along with a 1-year suspended sentence for violating the Political Funds Act. His appeal is currently ongoing.