Lee Hwa-young applies for a trial for public participation in the first trial.

Lee Hwa-young, former governor of peace in Gyeonggi Province, who was additionally charged with receiving 500 million won in illegal funds from companies in Gyeonggi Province, has applied for a public participation trial.

At the first trial date of bribery and other charges held at the Suwon District Court today (1st), former lieutenant governor Lee argued that a public participation trial should be held to combat the prosecution's abuse of prosecution's right to prosecute.

The former lieutenant governor Lee appealed that the prosecution wanted to be judged directly by the public, saying that the prosecution investigated it in a dusty way and then prosecuted it.

On the other hand, the prosecution argued that the case should be ruled out of the public participation trial, saying it was a corruption case, not a political case.

The former lieutenant governor was additionally indicted in June on charges of accepting bribes and 537 million won in illegal political funds from four companies in Gyeonggi Province.