The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy

  • 3

    ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views

  • 5

    Pyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South Korea

  • 7

    INTERVIEWA touch of authenticity in Korea's Mexican cuisine scene

  • 9

    Teens feel peer pressure to buy luxury goods endorsed by K-pop stars

  • 11

    Korean iPhone users lose 'batterygate' lawsuit

  • 13

    Woman in mysterious child death case given suspended prison term by appeals court

  • 15

    Gov't announces measures to cope with shortage of surgeons

  • 17

    Korea to root out 'jeonse scam,' support victims

  • 19

    Seoul, US hold combined air drills, involving B-1B bomber, F-22, F-35 stealth fighters

  • 2

    Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers

  • 4

    Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone

  • 6

    Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee team up for coming-of-age film 'Soulmate'

  • 8

    Police to introduce new measures to better handle intoxicated people

  • 10

    Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth'

  • 12

    Girl group NewJeans sweeps top 3 spots on Melon's monthly chart for Jan.

  • 14

    INTERVIEW'Extended deterrence is best option to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula'

  • 16

    Itaewon tragedy's bereaved families harassed by far-right protesters

  • 18

    INTERVIEWUS-NK summit is unlikely in 2023: Korea Society

  • 20

    INTERVIEWIMF expects no recession for Korean economy

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Sat, February 4, 2023 | 15:28
Politics
Korea's ex-crime buster faces call from the past
Posted : 2017-12-13 16:17
Updated : 2017-12-14 09:49
Jung Min-ho
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Yeo Woon-hwan, left, was one of the alleged key criminals who Hong Joon-pyo, now leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, prosecuted when Hong led Korea's war against crime in the early 1990s. Yeo, a businessman, claims Hong framed him and says Hong is a man who will do anything to promote himself. / Korea Times file
Yeo Woon-hwan, left, was one of the alleged key criminals who Hong Joon-pyo, now leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, prosecuted when Hong led Korea's war against crime in the early 1990s. Yeo, a businessman, claims Hong framed him and says Hong is a man who will do anything to promote himself. / Korea Times file

‘Hong used gift knife set to frame me'

By Jung Min-ho


Hong Joon-pyo owes his political rise to "Sandglass," the 1995 megahit TV series. The leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) was a star prosecutor in the nation's war against organized crime and that series was supposed to be about his daring fight.

But Yeo Woon-hwan, a businessman who appeared as a villain in Hong's story, has claimed he was the victim of Hong's trumped-up charges. He has said so for the past 26 years and now is being given what may be his final say in this long-running case.

Yeo said Hong portrayed him as the a "financer" of one of the biggest organized crime syndicates in Korea and he spent four years in prison for it.

He had denied the charges and there was no physical evidence. But the court found him guilty based solely on testimony from a member of International PJ, the violent crime organization that Hong claimed Yeo had control of.

At the time, the member's "testimony" was admitted by the court without giving Yeo or his lawyer a chance to contest it. That law was a relic from the Park Chung-hee dictatorship (1963-1979) that wanted to make the indictment of dissidents easier and expedite prosecution. The Constitutional Court ruled in 1996 that the clause was unconstitutional.

That means the foundation on which the court found Yeo guilty has gone and Yeo is now seeking another chance to prove his innocence.

Last week, Yeo applied for a retrial, saying the previous trial was wrong from the beginning and the verdict destroyed his life. A court is expected to make a decision in "several months."

"He (Hong) is a fabricated hero who made a success at the cost of my life," Yeo said during a recent interview. "He lied and everyone was fooled … Many years have passed since. But my family and I still suffer from the stigma."

The two met after Hong was assigned to the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office in 1991. Yeo was a successful businessman who had several companies there.

Yeo's misery began at a golf clubhouse where another businessman, surnamed Baek, asked him to "go there and say hello to Hong first." Yeo refused.

After that day, tension started to develop between Yeo and the prosecutor. But they eventually met because they had some mutual friends in a small elite community there.

According to Yeo, the tension reached its peak when he returned a set of knives from Hong after it was delivered to him by mistake. Soon, Yeo realized that Hong had targeted him for being the boss of International PJ.

"I was stunned and furious," Yeo said. "But I never thought it would be difficult to prove my innocence because I was not involved in any gang activities. I never knew I would end up in prison."

The fight was hard; Hong was a famous prosecutor who knew how to use the media to his advantage and Yeo was a suspect with a criminal record of assaulting a person when he was a teenager.

Yeo was dumbfounded when he realized that the story of the mistaken delivery of the knives was dramatized in the media as one for a gang boss' blackmailing. "Based on Hong's lies, the media accused me of sending the knives as a death threat," he said.

The court rejected Hong's accusations against Yeo, citing a lack of evidence. But Yeo was found guilty of sponsoring a gang, based on the PJ member's confession.

It is still unclear why Hong targeted him or whether he saw him fair game despite the fact a failure could also damage his career. What's clear is that, through the media, the case made Hong a new political star who gained the image of "no compromise on justice."

Following the huge success of the TV series, he wrote a book about himself and made his way into politics. The image of the "Sandglass prosecutor" was his biggest political asset, which he always used to promote himself.

"I want the truth," Yeo said. "I'm 63 years old now. What do you think I get from this fight? I want to clear myself of what I never committed. This is the only thing I want."


Emailmj6c2@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Teens feel peer pressure to buy luxury goods endorsed by K-pop stars Teens feel peer pressure to buy luxury goods endorsed by K-pop stars
2Itaewon tragedy's bereaved families harassed by far-right protesters Itaewon tragedy's bereaved families harassed by far-right protesters
3Plan to construct new memorial center for ex-president faces backlash Plan to construct new memorial center for ex-president faces backlash
4Too many emergency text alerts? Gov't to halt daily COVID-19 notifications Too many emergency text alerts? Gov't to halt daily COVID-19 notifications
5First lady expands presence in domestic politics First lady expands presence in domestic politics
6Able C&C sale attracts dozens of potential buyers Able C&C sale attracts dozens of potential buyers
7FSC OKs Apple Pay to be available in Korea FSC OKs Apple Pay to be available in Korea
8Naver to roll out conversational AI service Naver to roll out conversational AI service
9SEMICON Korea defies chip industry downturn SEMICON Korea defies chip industry downturn
10K bank decides to delay IPO plan K bank decides to delay IPO plan
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy
2ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views
3Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee team up for coming-of-age film 'Soulmate' Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee team up for coming-of-age film 'Soulmate'
4Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth' Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth'
5'Ant-Man 3' promises bigger, better action with same family dynamic: cast 'Ant-Man 3' promises bigger, better action with same family dynamic: cast
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group