Former Gyeonggi Vice Governor Sentenced to 9 Years 6 Months in Prison

Former Gyeonggi Province vice governor Lee Hwa-young was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison on several charges, including colluding with a local underwear maker’s unauthorized remittance to North Korea.

The Suwon District Court on Friday found Lee guilty of colluding in Ssangbangwool Group’s transfer of eight million U.S. dollars to North Korea in 2019, as well as bribery and political fund law violations, while also handing a 250 million won, or over 180 thousand U.S. dollars in fine.

The ex-Gyeonggi vice governor is accused of violating the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act, with prosecutors claiming that five million dollars of the remittance money was intended to help Gyeonggi’s smart farm support program in North Korea, while the rest was used to facilitate then-Gyeonggi Province governor Lee Jae-myung’s planned visit to Pyongyang.

Lee was also found guilty of receiving illicit political funds from the underwear makers amounting to 334 million won, or over 244 thousand U.S. dollars, including 259 million won, or around 189 thousand U.S. dollars in bribes through corporate card and vehicle usage between July 2018 and August 2022.

Friday’s ruling comes about one year and eight months after Lee was indicted in October 2022, with prosecutors initially seeking 15 years in a previous hearing in April.