Independent lawmaker Sohn Hye-won appeared in court on Monday for her first trial regarding allegations she engaged in illegal real estate investments.

Ahead of entering the Seoul Southern District Court, Sohn denied the allegations against her.

The trial comes after prosecutors indicted Sohn on July 18 on charges of violating an anti-corruption law and a law banning real estate purchases under a borrowed name.

Prosecutors believe Sohn engaged in real estate speculation using information she obtained while sitting on a parliamentary committee.

Sohn is suspected of borrowing her relative's name to buy three plots of land and two buildings worth 72 million won. 

She is also accused of using confidential information from a Mokpo city government official when purchasing or helping acquaintances purchase 26 pieces of land and 21 buildings worth about one-point-four billion won in the city between March 2017 and September 2018.

The Cultural Heritage Administration recently designated the area where many of these parcels and buildings are located as a "modern history and cultural site," causing land prices to jump some 400 percent.

Sohn has continuously claimed that the information she obtained regarding the Mokpo purchases was not confidential and was disclosed during a public hearing.