Lee Jae-myung's Side: "The Right to Legal Counsel Is Guaranteed to Everyone"
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is speaking at the National Presidential Election Committee meeting held on the morning of the 29th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Seo-gu, Gwangju. [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] The Democratic Party of Korea has actively refuted criticisms regarding presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's past defense in the 'nephew dating murder case.' Previously, the People Power Party had repeatedly criticized Lee's record of defending his nephew.
Pro-government broadcaster Kim Eo-jun criticized the related controversy on the 29th during TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' saying, "No matter how important the presidential election is, this is too petty."
Kim referred to Kim Byung-joon, the standing election committee chairman of the People Power Party, who raised issues about Lee's history of defending his nephew in a murder case, stating, "The intention behind such remarks is obvious. They are trying to frame the candidate as having character issues and the family as problematic by associating it with the provocative keyword 'murder.'"
He continued, "If someone is a criminal, should they not receive treatment? Who questions doctors about that?" and added, "They are equating the client's crime with the defense. The Bar Association should protest this. It has nothing to do with assessing the candidate's qualifications."
He also recalled when Lee Jun-seok, the party leader, and former lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook were involved in their fathers' violations of the Agricultural Land Act, the People Power Party said, "Guilt by association is unacceptable." He pointed out, "They defended them then, so how can they now link the character of a fifth cousin by guilt by association? To claim that Lee Jae-myung's violent nature can be inferred from defending his nephew is absurd."
On the same day, Hyun Geun-taek, spokesperson for Lee Jae-myung's campaign, appeared on CBS Radio and retorted, "If you treat a murderer, does that make you a murderer?" He added, "Did Chun Doo-hwan not have a lawyer? He did. Did the Sewol ferry captain not have a lawyer? He did. The right to legal counsel is guaranteed to everyone."
He also emphasized that Lee is not far from the label of a 'human rights lawyer,' saying, "(Lee) has handled cases related to Seongnam Municipal Hospital, the Parkview preferential sale case, the Yongsan tragedy, and so on." He continued, "If you criticize him as a 'murder defense lawyer' based on one or two cases, then no lawyer-turned-politician could ever succeed in Korea."
Additionally, Democratic Party lawmaker Jin Sung-jun appeared on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' the same day, stating, "Linking the candidate to the nephew's case is guilt by association." He explained, "Wouldn't it have been better if he hadn't defended his nephew? But the nephew's family was not in a financial position to hire another capable lawyer. In such a murder case, no lawyer would readily take it on, so since he was a lawyer himself, he had no choice but to take the case."
He added, "A lawyer's basic duty is to accept a case and defend it to the best of their ability if they believe they should, even if it involves heinous crimes. Refusing or failing to defend diligently would be a breach of duty."
Previously, Lee apologized for defending his nephew Kim in the 2006 Gangdong-gu mother and daughter murder case, saying, "The family could not afford to hire a lawyer, so as the only lawyer in the family, I had no choice but to take the defense." It was also confirmed that Lee jointly defended another dating murder case that occurred in 2007 in Seongnam's Sujeong-gu with another lawyer.
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