Suwon Court Sentences Former Gyeonggi Vice Governor to Four Months for Perjury

The Suwon District Court on June 20, 2026, sentenced former Gyeonggi Province vice governor Lee Hwa-young to four months in prison after convicting him of perjury. The court found that Lee gave false testimony during a 2024 parliamentary hearing when he stated that he and former Ssangbangwool chairman Kim Seong-tae were provided alcohol and raw salmon during a prosecution interrogation.

Lee had also testified that prosecutors pressured and enticed them to make false statements implicating President Lee Jae Myung.

A seven-panel citizen jury heard the case. The court ruled that Lee Hwa-young's testimonies lacked consistency and credibility. 94 million transfer to North Korea between 2019 and 2020.

He was found guilty of receiving illicit political funds and bribes from Ssangbangwool in return for promising business deals in the North. Lee is currently serving a seven-year-and-eight-month prison term related to the illegal remittance case. The new four-month sentence will extend his total time in custody.

The court dismissed abuse of power and other charges alleging that Lee Hwa-young facilitated remittances and North Korea projects, including a potential visit to Pyongyang by then-Gov. Lee Jae Myung. The court recognized an abuse of prosecutorial power, finding that the prosecution sought to indict Lee across multiple criminal cases, infringing upon his defense rights.

Jeong added: "The DP has lost its core argument for demanding that the remittance case be dismissed.