Former Ssangbangul Group Vice Chairman Bang Yong-chul answering questions [Yonhap News]

Regarding the 'Ssangbangul North Korea Remittance Case,' a former Ssangbangul executive, accused of giving money to a North Korean agent, has once again testified in the parliamentary inquiry that "Ri Ho-nam visited the Philippines."

Conversely, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) continues to assert that Ri Ho-nam was not in the Philippines at the time, criticizing the court's previous ruling that did not accept this claim by stating, "The final appeal does not always guarantee the truth."

On April 14th, at the 'National Inquiry into the Truth of Allegations of Fabrication and Prosecution by the Political Prosecutors of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration' held at the National Assembly, former Ssangbangul Vice Chairman Bang Yong-chul responded to a question from Seo Young-kyo, Chairperson of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Democratic Party), asking "Did Ri Ho-nam come to the Philippines in July 2019?" by stating, "He did. I saw his face and met him."

He claimed, "I did not give the money directly; Chairman Kim Seong-tae delivered it, and I guided him to where the chairman was." When asked for the reason for giving the money, he said, "It was given in exchange for visiting North Korea."

This is a reiteration of Bang's testimony in October 2024 as a witness in the trial of Lee Hwa-young, former Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province for Peace and Unification. The lower court's ruling based on that testimony was finalized by the Supreme Court.

Even when Seo asked again, warning, "You will be punished for perjury," Bang reiterated his testimony that he met Ri Ho-nam in the Philippines at that time and gave him money.

Former Ssangbangul Vice Chairman Bang Yong-chul entering the prosecution [Yonhap News]

This contradicts the NIS's report stating that it confirmed Ri Ho-nam's non-attendance at the '2019 Asia-Pacific Peace and Prosperity International Conference' held in the Philippines.

Earlier, on the 6th, the NIS reported in a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee that it had confirmed Ri Ho-nam's non-attendance at the '2019 Asia-Pacific Peace and Prosperity International Conference' held in the Philippines in July 2019.

Park Sun-won, floor leader for the ruling party (Democratic Party) in the Intelligence Committee, who received the report, stated, "There was a question from a Democratic Party lawmaker asking, 'Are you certain Ri Ho-nam did not attend the Asia-Pacific Peace Conference held in the Philippines?' and in response, the NIS Director confirmed that 'Ri Ho-nam was not in the Philippines at the time.'"

The prosecution alleges that former Ssangbangul Chairman Kim Seong-tae met Ri Ho-nam, an agent of North Korea's Ministry of State Security, at the Asia-Pacific Peace Conference held in Manila, Philippines, on July 25-26, 2019, and handed over $700,000 for the then-Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Lee Jae-myung, to visit North Korea.

The presence of Ri Ho-nam in the Philippines was also a key issue in the bribery trial of former Vice Governor Lee. At that time, the defense argued, based on NIS reports, that Ri Ho-nam was elsewhere, not in the Philippines.

After examining both arguments, the court found Bang Yong-chul's testimony credible regarding Ssangbangul handing over $700,000 to Ri Ho-nam, and this ruling was finalized by the Supreme Court.

Prosecutor Park Sang-yong, who refused to take the oath as a witness for the special committee, was removed from the national inquiry venue [Yonhap News]

In relation to this, a secret witness from the NIS who appeared at the national inquiry today reiterated their previous assertion that Ri Ho-nam was not in the Philippines at the time.

The witness, who identified themselves as the author of the secret report from 2019, stated, "Although I presented the argument (that Ri Ho-nam was not in the Philippines) in the appellate court, the judges did not accept it," and questioned, "I doubt whether the judges at that time acted appropriately to uncover the substantial truth."

He then mentioned cases such as the Minchonghakryon incident and the Inhyeokdang incident, arguing, "If you ask whether the results of the court's final appeal always guarantee the truth, historically there have been instances where this was not the case."