Justice minister orders probe into prosecution's alleged special treatment of ex-Gyeonggi vice governor
Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 20:15
Updated: 18 Sep. 2025, 21:14
![Lee Hwa-young, former vice governor for Gyeonggi, answers lawmakers’ questions after appearing as a witness at a parliamentary audit of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 25, 2024. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/18/a8430fc3-bad5-498b-bd8a-f162c7100594.jpg)
Lee Hwa-young, former vice governor for Gyeonggi, answers lawmakers’ questions after appearing as a witness at a parliamentary audit of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 25, 2024. [YONHAP]
Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho on Wednesday ordered a formal investigation into allegations that a former Gyeonggi vice governor and the head of an underwear maker were treated to alcohol and a salmon dinner during questioning by prosecutors over their involvement in an illegal remittance of $8 million to North Korea in 2019.
Jung gave the order after an earlier fact-finding investigation revealed that the allegations, which were first raised by opposition lawmakers last year, were likely true, the justice ministry said in a press release.
The investigation found that former Gyeonggi Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young, former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Seong-tae and their accomplices had dinner consisting of rice topped with raw salmon and sushi during their interrogation at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in May 2023.
They were joined by prosecutor Park Sang-yong and Kim Seong-tae. Others also drank soju, traditional Korean distilled liquor, from paper cups, the ministry said.
Allegations that the inmates received other types of special treatment were also found to be likely true, it said.
The findings contradict those of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office's own investigation, which were announced in April last year. At the time, the prosecutors' office had said the allegations had turned out to be "clearly false."
Park, the prosecutor accused of providing the food and drinks in order to win over Lee, had also denied the allegations in a post on the prosecution's internal web.
The illegal remittance case has also led to the indictment of President Lee Jae Myung, who was governor of Gyeonggi at the time the unauthorized transfer of $8 million to North Korea was made.
The president has been accused of asking Ssangbangwool Group to make the transfer between 2019 and 2020 through then-Vice Gov. Lee to facilitate his planned visit to Pyongyang.
In return, the now president allegedly promised the Gyeonggi provincial government's support and guarantee for Ssangbangwool's business in North Korea.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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