Prosecutors again demand W3m fine for DP leader's wife

Prosecutors on Thursday reaffirmed their demand for a fine of 3 million won ($2,174) against the wife of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of providing free meals to several people ahead of the 2021 party election to pick a presidential candidate.

The Suwon District Prosecutors Office demanded the fine against Kim Hye-kyung during the closing hearing on charges of election law violations.

She was indicted for providing meals worth 104,000 won to the wives of three former and current party lawmakers, and three of her aides at a restaurant in Seoul in August 2021, shortly after Lee declared his bid for the election to pick the party's candidate for the 2022 presidential race.

The meals were allegedly paid for with a corporate card from the Gyeonggi regional government, where Lee was mayor.

The request of a 3 million won fine is the same as what prosecutors had previously sought for Kim during the previous hearing on July 25.

Prosecutors asserted the alleged crime is grave "regardless of the amount of money involved," because she sought to buy support from influential politicians in her husband's favor.

Kim's side has denied the charges, arguing that she believed the meals were paid for separately by the diners and that she was unaware a corporate card was being used.

The court had initially scheduled the sentencing in the case for Aug. 13, but rescheduled it for Nov. 14 after adding five additional hearings. (Yonhap)