Federal Trial Begins for Hyundai Official

The trial of Hyundai Motor America controller Paul Koh, charged with hiding illegal corporate campaign contributions to Rep. Jay Kim (R-Diamond Bar), began Tuesday with the selection of a jury in Los Angeles federal court.

Koh, 44, is accused of laundering $4,500 from Fountain Valley-based Hyundai into Kim’s election campaign. If convicted, Koh could face up to 10 years in federal prison.

Kim is the target of an ongoing three-year federal grand jury investigation of alleged illegal campaign contributions.

Opening statements in the Koh case are expected today.

Federal prosecutors will try to prove that the Hyundai official was a mastermind behind a 1992 plan to funnel money into Kim’s election fund through five private contributions. All the contributions, including one made by Koh, were made by Hyundai employees.

Hyundai pleaded guilty in December to laundering illegal contributions to Kim and paid $600,000 in fines. Three other Korean companies--Korean Airlines, Samsung and Daewoo--have also been convicted of making illegal contributions to Kim. Koh’s lawyers say that he knew nothing of such a plan and that any wrongdoing was the work of the congressman’s campaign organization. The attorneys have indicated that they would like to turn the court proceedings into a trial of Kim and his staff.

During juror questioning, U.S. District Judge Anthony P. Paez hinted that he would not allow such a strategy by the defense.

When the judge asked one juror if he had ever heard of the Koh case, the juror answered affirmatively, saying he had seen a headline about Kim. Paez quickly cut him off, saying, “This is not a trial of Mr. Kim.”

Most of the day was spent with mundane questioning of jurors, including asking whether they had ever owned a Hyundai or had ever worked for a foreign corporation. Of the 31 jurors questioned, 14 were excused from duty, most of them by peremptory challenges, which allow lawyers from either side to excuse jurors for no stated reason.