Former Gyeonggi official sentenced to prison for perjury over 'salmon drinking party' testimony

A South Korean court has handed down a four-month prison sentence to Lee Hwa-young, the former Peace Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, for perjury related to his testimony about a "salmon drinking party." The Suwon District Court's Criminal Division 11 ruled that Lee's claims of a drinking session and external food provision during a bribery investigation lacked credibility due to inconsistencies in his statements.

The verdict means that the allegations of coercion and fabricated testimony raised during the investigation into Ssangbangul's North Korea remittance, which Lee had claimed occurred during the alleged drinking party, have not been legally substantiated. The court accepted the jury's recommendation, where four out of seven jurors found that no alcohol was provided.

Lee was acquitted of charges related to violating the Political Funds Act, a decision unanimously supported by the seven-member jury. However, the court dismissed charges of abuse of power, obstruction of justice by deception, and violation of the Local Finance Act, citing that Lee's right to defense was not adequately guaranteed for these specific charges.

The perjury conviction directly impacts Lee's assertion that a drinking session aimed at pressuring him occurred in a Suwon District Prosecutor's Office room on May 17, 2023. Prosecutors had pointed out that Lee changed his account of the date and time of the alleged party multiple times. Several individuals implicated in the alleged party, including a prosecutor and former Ssangbangul executives, testified that no such event took place.

Despite the court's ruling, the controversy is not entirely settled. Three jurors still believed the drinking party occurred, and both the Ministry of Justice and the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office had previously found the allegations to have some credibility following special inspections and audits. Lee's legal team plans to appeal the perjury conviction. Separately, a special prosecution team is investigating the alleged coercion during the Ssangbangul case, potentially examining the legality of the original investigation and the involvement of former President Yoon Suk-yeol.