United Future Party, "I named Saenuri Party" Lee Man-hee sues for defamation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The United Future Party announced on the 28th that it will file a defamation lawsuit against Lee Man-hee, the leader of Shincheonji, and has submitted a complaint to the Central District Prosecutors' Office, requesting a travel ban to secure his custody.

The United Future Party emphasized that Lee's claim that he named the predecessor party Saenuri Party is false. The party stated, "Considering that a program exposing the true nature of Shincheonji aired in 2012, spreading the perception that Shincheonji is an antisocial and anti-humanitarian group, Lee Man-hee's false statement that he named the Saenuri Party itself damages the honor of the Saenuri Party."

The party added, "According to the Political Parties Act, which stipulates that a party newly established or continued through a merger inherits the rights and obligations of the pre-merger parties, the United Future Party also succeeds the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the Liberty Korea Party. Therefore, the false claim that Lee Man-hee named the Saenuri Party directly defames the United Future Party."

The United Future Party further stated, "The name Saenuri Party was accurately decided in January 2012 through a public contest and by gathering opinions from both inside and outside the party. Spreading false information that damages the honor of the United Future Party and those seeking to run as candidates recommended by the party is a serious violation of election law, and we will respond with a zero-tolerance policy toward forces spreading false information."