President Moon Responds to Kwak Sang-do's Damages Lawsuit: "It Was Not an Investigation Directive"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] President Moon Jae-in has submitted a written response to a damages lawsuit filed against him by People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-do, claiming that his reputation was damaged by a "political investigation."

According to the legal community on the 12th, President Moon sent the written response to the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 14 (Presiding Judge Kim Jong-min), which is handling the lawsuit, on the 30th of last month.

President Moon reportedly responded that "he did not give specific investigative instructions to the prosecution and did not make any remarks that could be interpreted as referring to the plaintiff (Lawmaker Kwak)."

President Moon did not appoint legal counsel for this lawsuit. It was confirmed that Lee Kwang-chul, Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House, and former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, who were also sued, submitted their written responses directly without appointing legal representatives.

Former National Police Agency Commissioner Min Gap-ryong and Prosecutor Lee Kyu-won both appointed legal representatives and submitted written responses. Former Minister of Justice Park Sang-ki has not yet appointed legal counsel nor submitted a written response.

Lawmaker Kwak filed a lawsuit in March against President Moon, eight others, and the state, claiming 500 million won in damages, alleging that although he never blocked the investigation into the video scandal involving former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Hak-eui during his time as Chief of Civil Affairs at the Blue House under the Park Geun-hye administration, President Moon defamed him by branding him as a suspect based on a false meeting report and ordered the prosecution investigation.

In March 2019, President Moon ordered a thorough investigation by the prosecution and police into the Kim Hak-eui case, stating that "there are signs of concealment." In response, Lawmaker Kwak claimed that he became the target of the investigation as retaliation because he raised suspicions about the overseas migration of President Moon's daughter and her husband in the National Assembly in January 2019.