[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, was finally acquitted on the 23rd of charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act (false information disclosure) related to the 'forced hospitalization of his elder brother.' It took 867 days.
The Seongnam Branch of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office announced on the same day regarding Lee's retrial acquittal, "We have decided not to file a further appeal in respect of the Supreme Court's ruling." Accordingly, Lee's acquittal was finalized.
Regarding this, Lee said, "The 'show by the deep-rooted corrupt prosecution that created something out of nothing' over the past 867 days has ended," expressing gratitude to his supporters and apologies to his family.
On the 24th, Lee posted on Facebook a message titled "A show by the deep-rooted corrupt prosecution that created lies from silence," strongly criticizing, "I stopped forcibly diagnosing my sick elder brother according to the law, but the People Power Party and malicious conservative media fabricated fake news claiming that I tried to illegally forcibly hospitalize a perfectly healthy elder brother in a psychiatric hospital."
He continued, "The prosecution led a massive witch hunt to induce a public opinion trial, hiding numerous pieces of evidence proving innocence, and indicted me on charges of 'trying to illegally forcibly hospitalize a perfectly healthy elder brother while denying it.' They also added charges of false information disclosure related to my criminal record and the Daejang-dong development scandal as a bonus," he pointed out.
Fortunately, Lee said, "The Supreme Court ruled that the question 'Did you try to hospitalize him?' can be interpreted as 'Did you attempt an illegal act?' so denying it cannot be considered a lie. There was no falsehood in the overall statement that a lawful diagnostic procedure was conducted, and remaining silent about the 'instruction facts,' which are not subject to disclosure obligations, cannot be considered false information disclosure," highly appreciating the trial results.
Lee did not forget to express his apologies for the pain his family endured during the 867-day litigation process surrounding him and his gratitude to the supporters who quietly stood by him.
He first said, "Having come from a poor boy laborer background and overcoming all kinds of hardships, I have never experienced such a cruel and harsh crisis or pain as now," expressing mixed feelings upon hearing the news of his acquittal after 867 days of accusations.
He added, "I am sorry to my mother who watched the ugly politics exploiting mental illness and the bitter family strife in pain and left this world with resentment, to my elder brother who passed away as a victim of political strife without receiving treatment, and to my siblings who were intimidated by insults of illiteracy and suffered investigations by the police and prosecution."
He also said, "I am truly sorry to my beloved wife and children who suffered pain they did not have to endure because of politics."
Furthermore, he expressed gratitude to comrades who joined the arduous struggle over eight seasons?from Bundang Police Station to the prosecutors' office, courts, nationwide and overseas?through rallies, protests, sit-ins, petitions, signature campaigns, and various online and offline promotions.
Lee also mentioned the cruelty of the prosecution during this litigation process.
He said, "It is astonishing how the corrupt prosecution tried to ruin a person's life through false indictments while clearly knowing the innocence and hiding evidence of innocence. The cruelty of the media and prosecution, who spread fake news and focused on witch hunts without even a single apology, is also astonishing," lamenting.
He added, "I believed in justice, and the show by the corrupt prosecution and corrupt media has ended, but too much time, effort, and pain were consumed to reach this obvious conclusion," honestly confessing, "I feel more empty than happy."
Finally, Lee said, "Steel becomes stronger the more it is struck, and the higher the mountain, the greater the value in climbing it," and encouraged, "Let us not get tired, overcome barriers, and together create a fair society where everyone lives well with our own hands."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
