Lee Hwa-young Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison for Perjury Regarding 'Alcohol Party' Allegations; Acquitted of Political Funds Act Charges

[Anchor]

Lee Hwa-young, former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province for Peace, was sentenced to four months in prison by the court early this morning (June 20) for perjury regarding the so-called "salmon and alcohol party" allegations. The court ruled that his claims about the party lacked consistency and credibility. However, the court acquitted him of charges related to the Political Funds Act.

For our first report, here is Lim Ji-hyun.

[Reporter]

The court has ruled that the testimony given by former Gyeonggi Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young before the National Assembly, claiming that an "alcohol party with salmon" took place in the prosecutor's office during the investigation, was false.

The Suwon District Court's 11th Criminal Division, taking into account the opinion of a jury that deliberated overnight, found Lee guilty of violating the Act on Testimony and Appraisal Before the National Assembly and sentenced him to four months in prison.

Four out of the seven jurors concluded that Lee and others were not provided with alcohol at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in 2023, and the court similarly judged Lee's testimony to be inconsistent and lacking credibility, leading to the guilty verdict.

On the other hand, the court accepted the unanimous opinion of the jury and acquitted Lee of charges under the Political Funds Act, which alleged that he abetted "split donations" to the campaign support group for Lee Jae-myung, who was a Democratic Party presidential primary candidate at the time.

Regarding charges of abuse of power, which alleged that he forced subordinate officials to perform duties outside their scope during Gyeonggi Province's North Korea cooperation projects, the court dismissed the indictment, citing an abuse of prosecutorial authority.

Earlier yesterday morning, the prosecution had demanded a sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 5 million won, arguing that all charges against the former vice governor were proven.

In contrast, Lee denied the charges in his closing statement, claiming that he was "excessively indicted due to a politically motivated investigation."

This jury trial, which took place over ten days excluding weekends from the 8th to yesterday, has been recorded as the longest trial since the Act on Participation of Citizens in Criminal Trials was enacted in 2008.

It is reported that Lee's side intends to appeal the verdict immediately.

(Video Editing: Kim Yoon-sung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.