"No Alcohol Provided in Prosecutor's Office"... Clashes Over Alleged 'Drinking Party' to Coordinate Testimony

[Anchor]

Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who was in charge of the Ssangbangwool Group's North Korea remittance case, appeared at the jury trial for Lee Hwa-young, former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province. Prosecutor Park and Lee's legal team clashed directly over the core issue of whether a "salmon and alcohol party" took place in the prosecutor's office.

Report by Yoo Soo-Hwan.

[Reporter]

At today's (June 16) jury trial regarding the perjury allegations surrounding former Gyeonggi Peace Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young's claims of a "drinking party in the prosecutor's office," the defense and prosecution presented their cases.

Prosecutor Park Sang-yong of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, who appeared as a witness, categorically denied the allegations.

[Park Sang-yong/Prosecutor, Incheon District Prosecutors' Office: (Do you still maintain that no alcohol was provided?) Yes. As I have stated numerous times, my position has never changed.]

The prosecution questioned Prosecutor Park, who was the lead investigator at the time, about whether a "salmon and alcohol party" actually occurred.

In response, Prosecutor Park reiterated, "It is impossible for alcohol to be brought into the prosecutor's office, or for alcohol to be provided while a prison officer is present next to a detained suspect."

He further explained, "It would be impossible for there to be no smell when pouring alcohol, and if signs of intoxication were visible, I would have assumed they had ingested a toxic substance or something abnormal and immediately halted the investigation."

On the other hand, Lee's defense attorney pressed Prosecutor Park, asking, "Wasn't gathering key suspects like Kim Sung-tae and Bang Yong-chul in one place for a meal essentially a 'testimony seminar' to coordinate their statements?"

Prosecutor Park retorted by calling the claim a "delusion," leading to a heated exchange as the defense team countered, "If the jurors think the same, is that also a delusion?"

Yesterday morning, the court, along with a 12-member jury, conducted an on-site inspection of Room 1313 at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, the location identified as the site of the alleged "salmon and alcohol party."

[Lee Hwa-young/Former Gyeonggi Peace Vice Governor (October 2, 2024): Prosecutor Park Sang-yong said, 'Let's have a party, everything is done now,' and we had a party, and he brought alcohol. That day, we had sashimi rice bowls and salmon...]

Following the closing arguments from both sides on the 19th, the two-week trial will conclude. The court will then receive the jury's verdict and sentencing recommendations and deliver the final ruling on the same day, without a separate sentencing date.

(Video coverage: Jang Woon-seok | Video editing: Jung Yong-hwa)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.