The People Power Party said on the 5th regarding the confirmed guilty verdict of Lee Hwa-yeong, the former vice governor of Gyeonggi Province for peace, "Do you really think it is possible to send over 10 billion won to North Korea without reporting it to the governor?" This was aimed at President Lee Jae-myung, who was the governor at the time.
The former vice governor was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months in prison by the Supreme Court on charges of taking bribes from the SSANGBANGWOOL Group and conspiring to make illegal remittances to North Korea.
Kim Dong-won, the Spokesperson of the People Power Party, noted in a commentary, "President Lee himself is also indicted on charges of conspiring with the former vice governor for illegal remittances to North Korea and has been transferred to a separate trial," adding, "The important point is that the facts and evidence of the final verdict for the former vice governor overlap significantly with those of President Lee's trial."
Spokesperson Kim further stated, "If President Lee is truly confident in his innocence, he should not provoke public anger by halting the trial," and added, "Facing the trial with confidence and securing an acquittal is essential for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration, isn't it?"
Representative Na Kyung-won wrote on Facebook, "The time for justice has come," and stated, "This case is not merely a personal deviation. It was a dark transaction of power and money where the SSANGBANGWOOL Group paid the $3 million cost for Lee Jae-myung's visit to North Korea." Representative Na argued, "The 'atonement for someone' mentioned by Lee Hwa-yeong, the identity of that 'someone' is already known to the entire public. The name 'Lee Jae-myung,' which appears 104 times in the first-instance judgment, points to that answer," and insisted, "We must reveal who is at the center of the illegal remittance to North Korea."
Former Representative Han Dong-hoon wrote on Facebook, "The final guilty verdict has been confirmed for the crime of illegal remittance to North Korea with bribes given through a mobster-associated businessman," and commented, "No more claims of defamation or injustice can be made."
Representative Jeong Yeon-wook remarked, "If a crime is committed, punishment follows," questioning, "Just because someone becomes president, should trials stop and laws be changed? The only outcome would be a backlash from public opinion."