A court hearing to determine whether to arrest An Bu-su, head of the Asia-Pacific Peace Exchange Association, who is suspected of receiving around 100 million won in cash and valuables in connection with the "SSANGBANGWOOL remittance to North Korea" case, was held on the 10th.
Nam Se-jin, Director General judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, has been conducting a pretrial detention hearing (substantive warrant review) for An starting at 3:30 p.m. that day. An is suspected of receiving various conveniences and financial benefits for himself and his family using SSANGBANGWOOL Group funds.
The warrant was requested by the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office human rights violation inspection task force (TF). The TF applied embezzlement and breach of trust charges to An and also specified business embezzlement and breach of trust and obstruction of the performance of official duties by deception against former SSANGBANGWOOL Vice Chairman Bang Yong-cheol and former director Park. The warrant reviews for Bang and Park were held in sequence in the morning and afternoon that day.
According to prosecutors, from Mar. 2023 for about 2 years and 8 months, former Vice Chairman Bang and others provided a residential officetel to An's daughter and supported 72.8 million won by paying the rent and deposit on her behalf, it was found. They allegedly made it appear that An's daughter was employed by an SSANGBANGWOOL affiliate and paid 27.05 million won in the form of false wages, and they also allegedly paid about 5 million won of An's attorney's fees on his behalf, which was included in the warrant. All of this money is believed to have come from company funds.
Prosecutors also applied the charge of obstruction of the performance of official duties by deception, saying former director Park brought soju into an interrogation room at the Suwon High Prosecutors' Office on May 17, 2023, and deceived a security employee by making it seem like water. They added a business breach of trust charge to the warrant, noting that salmon and alcohol provided to former SSANGBANGWOOL Chairman Kim Seong-tae and others at the same place were paid with a corporate card. At the review that day, Park flatly denied the charges, saying, "I did not bring alcohol," and told reporters after the review, "I absolutely did not bring alcohol."
Prosecutors believe SSANGBANGWOOL's purpose in offering such money and conveniences was to influence An's statements and testimony. After An was first arrested in Nov. 2022 in the remittance to North Korea case, he testified in Jan. the following year at the trial of former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young that "I do not know well about the connection with Gyeonggi Province," but three months later he said he had heard from a North Korean official that "$5 million was demanded for then Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung's visit to the North, then lowered to $2 million–$3 million," reversing his earlier testimony.
The Seoul High Prosecutors' Office TF has been investigating the matter after allegations surfaced during the SSANGBANGWOOL remittance to North Korea probe of a so-called "salmon and alcohol party inducement." In Apr. last year, former Vice Governor Lee testified in court that "prosecutors offered alcohol and food to sway me," sparking controversy, and the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team at the time rebutted that "it is not true," citing the results of its own inquiry.
The Justice Ministry later ordered an inspection, saying it had confirmed indications that alcohol and food were indeed provided during a fact-finding inquiry, and the TF shifted to a criminal investigation after finding leads during the inspection. Prosecutors plan to closely examine whether there was any quid pro quo in the process of An and others reversing their statements once they are taken into custody.