"No Alcohol Served in Prosecutor's Office"... Clash Over Alleged 'Drinking Party' to Align Testimony

[Anchor]

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

Reported by Yoo Soo-Hwan.

[Reporter]

The jury trial held today (June 16) regarding the perjury allegations surrounding the "prosecutor's office drinking party" involving former Gyeonggi Peace Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young took place.

Park Sang-yong, a deputy chief prosecutor at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office who appeared as a witness, categorically denied the allegations.

[Park Sang-yong/Deputy Chief 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 Park, who was the lead investigator at the time, about whether a "salmon and alcohol party" had actually occurred.

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

He further explained, "It would be impossible for the smell of alcohol not to be detected when poured, and if signs of intoxication were visible, I would have assumed the suspect had ingested a toxic substance or something abnormal and immediately halted the investigation."

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

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

Yesterday morning, the court 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," along with the 12 jurors.

[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, and that day we had sashimi rice bowls and salmon...]

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

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