Lee Jae-myung, a presidential primary candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is preparing for a debate at the Democratic Party presidential candidate debate held at OBS in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 5th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A pro-Moon Jae-in faction group filed a complaint with the prosecution on the 7th, requesting an investigation into suspicions regarding the attorney fees of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential primary candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province.
Lee Mingu, leader of the Awake Citizens Solidarity Party (Kkaesiyon), filed the complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in the afternoon, accusing Lee of spreading false information under the Public Official Election Act. Kkaesiyon is a pro-Moon Jae-in group and a local party currently including one member of the Bundang-gu district council in Seongnam City.
Before submitting the complaint, Lee told reporters, "Lee Jae-myung stated on Facebook last August that the total attorney fees for his election law case, in which he was acquitted by the Supreme Court last year, amounted to 300 million KRW. However, there is suspicion that he gave over 2 billion KRW, including cash and stocks, to a single attorney, Lee Taehyung, who handled the case, so we are filing a complaint."
He added, "There is a recorded conversation between Attorney Lee and a whistleblower related to this matter, and we plan to submit this material to the prosecution when attending the complainant investigation."
He also pointed out, "Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung began undergoing prosecution investigations from October 2018, and Lee was indicted and tried from 2018 to 2020. Despite appointing as many as ten law firms and hiring former Supreme Court justices and chief prosecutors as attorneys over two years, Lee's assets barely decreased."
In response, Lee Jae-myung's campaign immediately issued a statement, denying the allegations, saying, "The claim that candidate Lee Jae-myung paid attorney fees worth 2 billion KRW to a single lawyer is a clear falsehood."
They continued, "We warn that if the accusing group does not immediately apologize for falsely accusing candidate Lee Jae-myung and withdraw the complaint, we will take uncompromising legal action. Filing a sudden complaint against the candidate during the Seoul-Gyeonggi region and the third Super Week primary, where the largest number of voters are participating, can only be seen as an attempt to interfere with the primary and slander the candidate."
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