Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is currently on trial for violating the Public Official Election Act. During the trial, new evidence regarding a meal gathering involving Kim has been revealed, drawing attention.
In the trial, payment records were presented that contradicted the testimony of A, the spouse of a National Assembly member.
During Kim Hye-kyung's hearing on the 10th, presided over by Judge Park Jeong-ho of the 13th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court, payment records for a meal gathering held at a Japanese restaurant in Seoul in July 2021 were disclosed.
These records, submitted with the cooperation of financial institutions, contradicted A’s court testimony that they had paid in cash at the time, revealing that no cash payment had been made.
The court stated, "Approximately 90,000 KRW was paid for Room 13, and no additional cash payments were confirmed."
A had previously testified that in a meal with Kim in August 2021, they had also paid separately in cash. However, the financial records disclosed on this day did not confirm any cash payments either.
The prosecution raised the possibility that the meals may have been paid for using Gyeonggi Province's corporate card and believes that Bae, a close aide to Kim, was involved in the payment.
However, these particular meal gatherings were not included in the indictment due to statute of limitations issues.
Kim Hye-kyung is currently facing charges for allegedly paying for a meal worth about 100,000 KRW using Gyeonggi Province's corporate card during a meal with spouses of Democratic Party lawmakers on August 2, 2021, right after her husband, Lee Jae-myung, declared his candidacy in the party’s primary for the presidential election.
Kim’s side, however, denies the charges, stating, “She was under the impression that attendees paid for their meals separately, and she was completely unaware that the corporate card had been used.”
The court will await further responses from financial institutions and will hold one more hearing on the 24th of this month before concluding the arguments.
https://www.sankyungtoday.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=48693
Kim Hye-kyung's meal companion claims "cash payment"... Not confirmed in financial records
Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is currently on trial for violating the Public Official Election Act. During
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