In addition, Rep. Roh Woong-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea appeared in court for the first time today (19th) on charges of receiving tens of millions of won in bribes and political funds, and once again denied the allegations.

Lawmaker Roh appeared this morning at the first hearing before Judge Lee Hwan-hwa of the Seoul Central District Criminal Division 4 on charges of bribery, bribery and violation of the Political Finance Act, and denied all of the prosecution's charges.

Roh's lawyer argued, "In his 4 years of political activity as a four-term legislator, he has never been in trouble for any crime such as bribery, and he did not lack political funds to the extent that he was the No. 20 overall fundraiser during the period adjacent to this case."

"There are too many things that are too unclear to conclude that we have made a risky and wrong choice that could have ended our long political life on our own," he said.

Roh also met with reporters outside the courtroom before his appearance at the trial and said, "I did not take bribes, and the prosecution's allegations against me are not true at all."

He also claimed that the scene recordings that the prosecution said they had obtained were fabricated.

The recording was made public on December 1 last year, when Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon explained the reason for the arrest request at the National Assembly's plenary session before the vote on the motion to arrest Roh.

At the time, a minister explained that the sound of a rustling envelope of money and the voice of Congressman Roh saying, "You gave it to me last time, what are you giving me again?" and "I was using it well last time," were recorded.

Lawmaker Roh said, "Political prosecutors receive fraudulent money and receive it, but this is a malicious and deliberate distortion," adding, "If you say you can't hear it, it's manipulation. We're going to make sure (the manipulation) is uncovered."

He said, "We apologize for the inconvenience caused to the public by this unsavory incident," and emphasized that "we believe in the power of truth in court and will reveal the substantive truth."

As for Mr. Park, a businessman who was accused of handing over the money, he said, "He is accusing me of being a criminal by listening to 12 people with 28 criminal convictions," adding, "I have never spoken to him on the phone, and I have no idea what he looks like until now."

Ms. Park was absent from the court that day.

Rep. Roh was indicted without detention for allegedly receiving a total of 16 million won from Park on five occasions between February and December 2020 under the pretext of arranging licensing for distribution centers, delivering power plants, and providing convenience for solar power generation projects.

(Photo=Yonhap News)