Lee Hwa-young's Prison Statement: "I Empathize with President's Agony, Courts Need Reform"

SBS has obtained a two-page handwritten statement written by former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young regarding the controversy that he was "very angry with President Lee Jae-myung," stating that "there are parts that differ from my true intentions."

The statement was written today (October 8) at the Suwon Detention Center, where former Vice Governor Lee is serving a finalized sentence of 7 years and 8 months in prison for Ssangbangwool's illegal remittance to North Korea.


In the statement titled "Prosecutorial Reform Must Lead to Judicial Reform," former Vice Governor Lee stated regarding his attorney's interview content reported by a media outlet yesterday, "There are parts that differ from my true intentions, so I am trying to correct them."

Previously yesterday, a media outlet quoted the remarks of former Vice Governor Lee's attorney, reporting that "former Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young is very angry with President Lee Jae-myung" and that "he feels bitter about being left neglected for years."

Former Vice Governor Lee distanced himself in the statement, saying, "My attorney, Kim Kwang-min, appears to have expressed his heart-wrenching feelings while watching my long imprisonment."

He added, "Although the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's fabrication regarding Ssangbangwool's remittance to North Korea has been largely revealed through the National Assembly's parliamentary inspection and other means, it is frustrating and unfair that the truth-finding process is delayed and not progressing."

He also stated, "I also empathize with the agony of the President, who must be suffering the same pain as me due to fabricated false charges."

As the controversy grew that former Vice Governor Lee had effectively publicly criticized President Lee Jae-myung, it is interpreted that he stepped forward himself to adjust the level of criticism.

In his statement, former Vice Governor Lee reiterated his stance that the remittance case to North Korea was fabricated by prosecutors and urged an independent counsel investigation.

Former Vice Governor Lee urged, "I ask the citizens to enable an independent counsel to swiftly punish the prosecutors of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office who fabricated falsehoods," arguing that "punishing prosecutors who committed crimes is a natural process of prosecutorial reform."


He also raised his voice against the court.

Former Vice Governor Lee claimed, "The remittance case to North Korea was fabricated by prosecutors, but it was the court that completed the fabrication," arguing that the court rejected all evidence that could prove his innocence in the remittance case.

He wrote, "The current Criminal Procedure Act, which allows a guilty verdict to be handed down without having to state the reasons for rejecting the evidence of innocence presented by the attorney, is making judges' arbitrary decisions possible."

Former Vice Governor Lee, whose 7-year and 8-month prison term for bribery and other charges in the Ssangbangwool illegal remittance case was finalized in June of last year, has been imprisoned for five years since he was detained in September 2022 on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act regarding the use of Ssangbangwool corporate cards.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.