Court rejects Lee's 'salmon party' allegation

A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young to four months in prison for giving false testimony during a National Assembly hearing, rejecting as unsubstantiated his claim that prosecutors coordinated witness statements over salmon sashimi and soju during the Ssangbangwool Group's alleged North Korea funding investigation.

Lee had alleged that prosecutors used the gathering to align testimony and draw statements unfavorable to President Lee Jae-myung. The court found the claim lacked credibility and convicted him. The ruling marks the judiciary's first judgment on the allegation, more than two years after Lee first raised it in April 2024.

The Criminal Division 11 of the Suwon District Court, presided over by Judge Song Byung-hoon, found Lee guilty of violating the Act on Testimony, Appraisal and Other Procedures Before the National Assembly. Four of the seven jurors who took part in the 10-day citizen-participation trial also concluded that Lee's testimony was false.

The court, however, dismissed separate charges that Lee abused his authority by illegally providing flour and other aid to North Korea. Rejecting the jury's conclusion on that count, the judges ruled that prosecutors had abused their prosecutorial discretion and threw out the indictment. The court also acquitted Lee of allegations that he instructed former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Seong-tae to make donations through multiple contributors during the 2018 Gyeonggi gubernatorial race, adopting the jury's unanimous view that the evidence was insufficient.


송유근 기자 big@donga.com