Hwa-Young Lee Requests Postponement, Saying "I Didn't Know There Was a Trial"... Hearing Ends in Just Over 10 Minutes

Hwa-Young Lee, former Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province for Peace, who was indicted on charges of receiving bribes worth hundreds of millions of won from companies in Gyeonggi Province, requested a postponement at court, stating, "I didn't know there was a trial today." As a result, the hearing concluded after just over 10 minutes.

Ewhayoung Lee, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

At the trial for alleged violations of the Bribery and Political Funds Act, held on the 21st under the Criminal Division 11 of Suwon District Court, the former deputy governor requested a postponement due to insufficient preparation.

He explained, "I am undergoing several trials, and because I was focusing on the jury trial last month and also writing an appeal statement, I didn't even realize there was a trial today. Perhaps I forgot while preparing for the jury trial, and I only learned about it yesterday after speaking with my attorney."

The prosecution argued, "It is unreasonable to grant an exception only to the defendant," but the court decided to postpone the witness examination in order to guarantee the right to defense and cross-examination.

However, the court rejected the request to delay the proceedings for reasons such as the special prosecutor, stating, "If the defendant fails to appear or is unprepared for reasons attributable to them in the future, the proceedings will continue as scheduled without further postponement." The next trial is scheduled for August 18.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.