Ihwa-young's Appeal Hearing Postponed to December 19

The appeal ruling for Lee Hwa-young (이화영), the former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison for illegal remittances to North Korea and charges of bribery and political fund violations, has been postponed by three weeks.

According to the legal community on the 27th, the 1st Criminal Division of the Suwon High Court (presided over by Judge Moon Joo-hyung) has rescheduled the ruling date for Lee's case, which involves violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, the Political Fund Act, and the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, to 2 PM on December 19. The ruling was originally set for November 29 at the same time.

A representative from the Suwon High Court stated, "While the exact reason is not known, it is common for the court to postpone the ruling date if they believe further deliberation is necessary before making a decision."

During the closing arguments held on October 31, the prosecution sought a sentence of 12 years in prison and a fine of 1 billion KRW for Lee regarding the bribery and political fund violations, along with a confiscation of approximately 334 million KRW. Additionally, they requested a 3-year prison term for violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act and charges of evidence destruction.