Song Young-gil, the representative of the Pine Tree Party, said on the 2nd in the first trial of the appeal regarding the 'allegations of receiving illegal political funds,' "I have never used the donations from the Peace and Livelihood Research Institute (Meoksayeon) for personal use." Previously, Representative Song was sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial and was detained in court. However, he was acquitted in the first trial regarding allegations related to the 'Democratic Party envelope money incident.'
The Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (presided by Director General Yoon Seong-sik) held the first hearing of the appeal of Representative Song, who was indicted for violating the Political Funds Act. Currently detained in Seoul Detention Center, Representative Song appeared in court dressed in a green prison uniform with gray hair. He also greeted his supporters in the audience.
The defense attorney for Representative Song stated that the evidence related to Meoksayeon was "illegally obtained" and claimed that the prosecution's request for a warrant based on this was unlawful. They also argued that Meoksayeon is merely a political think tank and not a channel for illegal political funds. In his direct remarks, Representative Song stated, "According to the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine (illegally obtained evidence cannot be used as evidence), we must prove the evidentiary value of (the evidence related to Meoksayeon)" and added, "Think tanks should be encouraged, and I have never used the donations for personal use."
The hearing for bail that Representative Song applied for on the 5th of last month was also conducted that day. Previously, Representative Song was arrested and indicted in January of last year, and after two bail requests in the first trial, he was released in May of last year. He had been tried while not incarcerated, but he was detained in court following the judgment of the first trial on January 8.
Representative Song's side expressed, "There are no concerns about flight risk or evidence destruction, and Representative Song's health condition is very poor," stating, "He has undergone two surgeries on his ankle and is particularly suffering greatly due to tooth pain." They requested, "Please allow Representative Song to exercise his right to defense while in a free state."
Representative Song also mentioned the cancellation of President Yoon Suk-yeol's detention. On that day, Representative Song stated, "President Yoon was detained and then released from (the detention center) due to the court's decision to cancel his detention," adding, "The court has released a leader of a rebellion who committed a serious crime. I am deeply disappointed and so enraged that I cannot endure life in prison." He continued, "I am suffering from tooth pain that keeps me awake at night in prison" and requested, "I hope for leniency so that I can exercise my right to defense fairly while not incarcerated."
In response, the prosecution stated, "The first trial court recognized the reasons and necessity for detaining Representative Song in court" and requested the dismissal of the bail application. The prosecution argued, "There are concerns about witness tampering and evidence destruction, and considering the seriousness of the matter, there is no reason to grant bail."
The trial for Representative Song that day lasted about 2 hours and 30 minutes, including the main case and the bail hearing. The court set the next hearing date for this case on the 23rd at 3:30 p.m.
Earlier, Representative Song was brought to trial for allegedly receiving 763 million won in illegal political funds from seven corporations under the guise of donations through Meoksayeon, his external fundraising organization, between January 2020 and December 2021. The prosecution viewed that out of the 763 million won, 40 million won was considered a bribe received by Representative Song from Park Yong-ha, former chairman of the Yeosu Chamber of Commerce, under the pretext of a request for permission regarding the expansion of an incinerator at a national industrial complex in July-August 2021.
The first trial judged Representative Song guilty of the charges of receiving illegal political funds. However, considering that former Chairman Park had a history of supporting Meoksayeon prior to this, the court determined that the 40 million won did not constitute a bribe.
The first trial also ruled Representative Song not guilty of the allegations related to the 'Democratic Party envelope money incident.' The allegation stated that during the Democratic Party's leadership election process in 2021, Representative Song was involved in the process of 66.5 million won being delivered to Democratic Party National Assembly members and local branch heads at that time. The court did not recognize the recorded conversation file of Lee Jeong-geun (former Deputy Secretary General of the Democratic Party) that triggered the case as evidence, accepting the argument from Representative Song's side that the recording was illegally obtained.
Both Representative Song and the prosecution filed an appeal against the first trial verdict.