Latest news with #SuwonDistrictCourt
Korea Herald
21-05-2025
- Korea Herald
Suspect arrested for allegedly killing 2, seriously injuring 2 others
The suspect in the murder of two people and stabbing of two others was placed under formal arrest Wednesday. The Ansan branch of the Suwon District Court issued an arrest warrant for Cha Cheol-nam, a Chinese national of Korean ethnicity, on charges of murder and attempted murder. Cha, 56, is accused of killing two brothers of the same Chinese-Korean background in Siheung, just southwest of Seoul, on Saturday before stabbing a convenience store owner and his landlord in separate incidents on Monday. The store owner and landlord are reportedly undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit. "There is concern he will flee and destroy evidence," the court said in issuing the warrant. Cha was apprehended by police Monday evening and claimed he premeditated the brothers' murder for not repaying him a loan of 30 million won (US$21,500). (Yonhap)
Yomiuri Shimbun
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Headaches and Cigarettes: Conviction of Pyongyang Spies Reveals Their Playbook of Codes, Signals
Shunpei Takeuchi / The Yomiuri Shimbun A statue in Hanoi, used as a place to rendezvous by North Korean spies, is seen on in January SEOUL — Last November, South Korea's Suwon District Court sentenced three men to between five and 15 years in prison for spying in South Korea under the instructions of the North Korean intelligence agency. They were members of a spy network formed secretly in South Korea. The Yomiuri Shimbun obtained details of the investigation and viewed the directives that were admitted as evidence in the ruling. Revealed were glimpses of the information warfare raging between the two countries. In August 2019, a man was standing at a 'meeting place' in Hanoi, carefully observing his surroundings. A month before, North Korea had sent a directive to the spy network inside its southern neighbor, instructing the man in how to confirm the identity of Pyongyang's agent using signs. 'Branch manager: Open a plastic water bottle and take a sip at 10 o'clock,' read the directive. 'Headquarters member: Once you have seen this gesture, wipe your sunglasses with a handkerchief several times at a spot seven to eight meters away from [the manager].' 'Headquarters' refers to the Cultural Exchange Bureau, or North Korea's intelligence agency, and 'branch manager' refers to the man who was waiting to meet someone in Hanoi. This man headed the spy ring in South Korea, and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November. The ringleader was set to meet an agent next to a statue by Hoan Kiem Lake, a popular tourist spot at the heart of the Vietnamese capital. Should they fail to link up there, a large supermarket nearby was designated as a backup location to meet an hour later. 'Check carefully,' the directive warned the spy leader, 'to see if you are being followed, during the entire time from when you are leaving the country [South Korea] until the meeting [after the rendezvous].' If he did notice someone was tailing him, the man was to use the codeword 'headache' to inform the intelligence agency via smartphone. 'If the headquarters member lights a cigarette while showing you the way, that's a signal that you are being followed. Move away from the member, find the pursuer and throw him off the track,' the directive said. However, investigators at the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) were keeping tabs on the spy leader after he arrived in Vietnam and the North Korean agent, starting two days before the pair's rendezvous. The investigators photographed the two walking around near the statue and keeping a lookout. They also took photos of another network member meeting with a North Korean agent the following day. According to the ruling, members of the South Korean spy network and North Korean agents also met in Phnom Penh in September 2017 and in Guangzhou, China's Guangdong Province, in September 2018. A photo presented at court showed the ringleader getting into a tuk-tuk with a North Korean agent in Phnom Penh. The man in his 50s who led the spy network was a senior member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of South Korea's largest labor unions, and was able to supervise the union's affiliated organizations. He was also charged with violating the National Security Law for collecting information on U.S. military bases. At the trial, a former North Korean spy who had been caught on duty in South Korea testified about Pyongyang's agent photographed in Cambodia. 'We were in the same group. I lived with this man for 24 hours a day,' the ex-spy said. 'He is an agent who received the title of Hero of the Republic. He has lost a lot of hair and put on a bit of weight [in this picture].' The ruling allowed such testimony and photographs as evidence, and said the covert meetings overseas were conducted in order 'to receive specific instructions from North Korea and discuss ways to carry out their aim.' The trial revealed 102 messages between the North and the spy network, with 89 from Pyongyang and 13 from the network. These included instructions to incite anti-Japanese acts over Japan's decision in April 2021 to release treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Signals in YouTube comments Kazuki Koike / The Yomiuri Shimbun People gather in front of the Suwon District Court in South Korea on Nov. 6 ahead of a ruling on three men who were subsequently given prison time for espionage. The North Korean spy agency sent its instructions to the South Korean network online using steganography, a method of encryption in which data is hidden inside images or messages. Besides emails, they also made use of the comments section on YouTube. 'If you post a pseudonym or text that includes 'Tommy Hall' in the YouTube comments, we will understand that you can go on a trip and will prepare for it.' This instruction from North Korea in August 2022 was asking a spy in South Korea if it was possible for him to take a trip, in other words to make contact, and it came with a YouTube link attached. The spy was to use the codeword 'Tommy Hall' in the comments if it was possible, or 'uphill road' if it was not. It's believed YouTube was used as a way to quickly respond to questions from North Korea. 'North Korea makes use of everything, including social media and cutting-edge technology,' said a former North Korean agent. After conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, who took a tough stance on Pyongyang, was elected president of South Korea in March 2022, the North Korean agency called for increased vigilance. A directive issued immediately after the election ordered: 'The public security authorities are likely to become more active. Don't leave any physical evidence. USBs should be physically destroyed and burned.' The evidence from the ruling showed that South Korea's NIS had been aware of the spies' activities since at least September 2017, and it likely surveilled their movements for over five years, up to January 2023. The last directive from North Korea that was used as evidence was dated December 2022, a month before authorities raided the South Korean network for engaging in espionage. The message showed concern about a delay in reports from South Korea: 'It's been over two months since we heard from you. We are worried and frustrated, and we miss you. 'You could have sent a short text saying you're fine and describing the situation you're in now. I haven't forgotten the days we spent talking, grasping each other's hands firmly and embracing each other warmly, sharing the love of family.' At this point, South Korea's investigative authorities seemed to have already tightened the noose around the spy network.
Korea Herald
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Legal clouds clear for Lee Jae-myung, with no ruling on horizon
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who stepped down as chair of the Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday, is unlikely to be significantly affected by the ongoing legal cases against him during the upcoming presidential campaign and election period. Lee currently faces five separate criminal trials tied to his terms as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province. However, the likelihood of Lee appearing in court during the election campaign remains low, minimizing the risk of public exposure tied to his criminal trials. The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday announced it will hold two more hearings on May 13 and 27 to examine Lee's corruption charges related to allegations during his tenure as Seongnam's mayor in the mid-2010s. Lee's legal representatives reportedly requested to reschedule the next court hearing, citing a possible election-related event. The court told the lawyers to submit relevant documents to the court once the schedule is determined and get permission for Lee's absence if necessary. A separate criminal trial also began at the Suwon District Court on Tuesday, in which Lee was accused of misappropriating funds during his tenure as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, including the alleged misuse of a corporate credit card for personal benefit, from 2018 to 2021. The court has scheduled two additional pretrial hearings for April 29 and May 27 before commencing the first formal trial hearing. However, Lee is not required to attend, as defendants are not obligated to be present at pretrial sessions. Though Lee was acquitted of perjury and subornation charges in November 2024, the prosecutors filed an appeal to review the case by a higher court. This is not expected to be a major hurdle for Lee as the final hearing is scheduled on June 3, making the Seoul High Court deliver its final ruling in July at the earliest under South Korean law. Lee's biggest legal challenge was also cleared in late March when the Seoul High Court overturned Lee's jail sentence on the charge of violating the Public Official Election Act. The prosecution filed the appeal against the lower court ruling, which would lead to the loss of Lee's parliamentary seat if overturned. But the legal circle believes that this is unlikely to affect Lee's presidential race for the time being, as the procedures prior to the opening of the trial at the top court, including the transfer of the case to the Supreme Court and submission of the documents for appeal, take about a month. Under Article 270 of the Election Act, the Supreme Court is required to deliver a ruling within three months in cases involving election crimes — meaning a verdict is expected by late June in this instance, weeks after the presidential election takes place on June 3. Another trial on charges of alleged involvement in unlawful money transfers to North Korea has yet to begin in the Suwon District Court, as that court will convene a preparatory hearing on April 23. Lee is suspected of asking Ssangbangwool to transfer $8 million to finance a smart farming project in North Korea and to bear the potential cost of Lee's visit to North Korea in return for providing assistance for the company's North Korea-related projects, according to the prosecution. Unauthorized money transfers to North Korea are regarded as a breach of the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act under South Korean law.
Korea Herald
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Another trial for DP leader kicks off ahead of imminent presidential bid
The first hearing in a criminal trial on Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chair of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, was held at the Suwon District Court on Tuesday, ahead of what is likely Lee's imminent declaration of a presidential bid. Lee, widely considered the clear frontrunner in the upcoming presidential race, is charged with misappropriating funds during his tenure as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, including the alleged misuse of corporate credit cards for personal benefit, from 2018 to 2021. The trial kicked off five months after Lee was indicted without detention in November, 2024. Lee was accused of using an official vehicle belonging to the province for personal use and spending a total of 106.5 million won ($72,399) in public money for private use. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office alleged that Lee used provincial government funds through corporate cards for his personal laundry services, breakfast sandwiches, fruit for his family memorial services and other purchases. The prosecution claimed it had found evidence against Lee's wife, who was also accused of misusing 8.89 million won in provincial government funds through corporate cards. But it decided to suspend the indictment against her in consideration of her limited involvement in the alleged crimes. Lee did not appear before the court as defendants are not obligated to attend pretrial hearings, but he did appear at the Seoul Central District Court for a hearing in a separate trial on charges of bribery stemming from his time as the mayor of Seongnam. Yet another trial is scheduled to begin for the opposition leader on April 23 on charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act and engaging in third-party bribery. Lee was previously accused of being involved in illegal remittances to North Korea by local underwear manufacturer Ssangbangwool in 2019 when he was serving as governor of Gyeonggi Province. The opposition leader is suspected of asking Ssangbangwool to transfer $8 million to finance a smart farming project in North Korea and to bear the potential cost of Lee's visit to North Korea in return for providing assistance for the company's North Korea-related projects, according to the prosecution. Unauthorized money transfers to North Korea are regarded as a breach of the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act under South Korean law. Though Lee was indicted in June 2024, legal procedures for the trial having been suspended as he filed a request to have the judge recused. Lee's lawyers claimed that the judge handed down prison terms to the former Gyeonggi Province's vice governor over violations related to the North Korean remittance case, making the judge prejudiced against Lee, but the court dismissed the request in mid-March. South Korea's Criminal Procedure Act stipulates that a defendant may request the recusal of a judge if there is concern that the judge will conduct an unfair trial.
Korea Herald
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Opposition lawmaker faces loss of parliamentary seat for violating election law
An opposition lawmaker was sentenced to a fine of 7 million won ($4,767) on Wednesday for underreporting his assets during last April's parliamentary elections, a ruling that will strip him of his parliamentary seat if confirmed. The Pyeongtaek branch of the Suwon District Court handed out the fine to Rep. Yi Byeong-jin of the main opposition Democratic Party for violating the Public Official Election Act. The court also ordered the lawmaker to pay 5 million won for violating the Act on Real Name Financial Transactions and Confidentiality, which requires the use of real names in financial transactions to prevent illegal acts, such as speculation and tax evasion. Lee was indicted in October for allegedly failing to report some of his assets during his parliamentary election campaign last April, including the stocks he owned and a record of having put up land he possessed in the central city of Asan as collateral for loans. By law, a lawmaker is stripped of his or her parliamentary seat if sentenced to a prison term or a fine of 1 million won or more for violating the election law. (Yonhap)
