Lee Hwa-young, Former Vice Governor, Calls for His Own Pardon
Lee Hwa-young, the former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, whose sentence of 7 years and 8 months in prison for illegal remittances to North Korea was upheld by the Supreme Court, urged for a special pardon on the 12th.
Call for Special Pardon
On the 12th, Lee posted on his Facebook with the title "Thank you. I will fight until the end" and stated, "I ask for the participation and sharing of the members and supporters of the Justice Party, the members and supporters of the Democratic Party, and citizens who wish to defend democracy."
He emphasized that he is "suffering unjust imprisonment due to the oppression of the prosecution's dictatorial regime" and stated, "The judicial oppression victims, including Jeonguk, Song Young-gil, and Lee Hwa-young, are all valuable assets of democratic citizens and our neighbors who live together."
Earlier, on the 10th, the "Citizen Group Requesting Special Pardon and Rehabilitation" urged President Yoon Suk-yeol to pardon the judicial victims under his regime on the Constitution Day, July 17. However, at that time, the group did not specifically mention the names of Lee Hwa-young or others.
In response, National Assembly member Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party stated on her Facebook on the 14th that "the demand for a pardon by former Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young is a blatant 'request for judicial transaction' directed at the President and a de facto threat."
Na stated, "If President Yoon pardons Lee Hwa-young, it would mean that he is confessing to being the ultimate responsible person for the illegal remittances to North Korea," and argued, "It will be clear evidence that the state is endorsing the crimes of the former vice governor and acknowledging that he was behind them."
Meanwhile, on the 5th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Chief Justice Lee Heung-goo) upheld the original ruling, sentencing Lee to 7 years and 8 months in prison for charges including bribery under the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes Act and violations of the Political Funds Act.
Image source: Lee Hwa-young, former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province / News1, Facebook 'Lee Hwa-young', National Assembly member Na Kyung-won / News1
