Lee Jae-myung, "Only Put Up the Name"... Kim Jin-tae, "Shifted All Responsibility to Junior Lawyer"

Chairman Kim, "Rare for First-Year Lawyers to Take on Murder Cases"
Candidate Lee Jae-myung, "Rather Than Arguing, I Just Sat There"

Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party presidential candidate [Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter La Young-cheol] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is facing widespread public outrage and heated public opinion after it was revealed that he had previously defended suspects involved in a series of bizarre 'serial murders,' including a murder case involving his nephew, as well as suspects in organized crime cases.

In particular, although candidate Lee apologized regarding the defense of his nephew's murder case by saying, "It was a family matter, so I had no choice but to handle it," it was further revealed that he also defended another suspect involved in a murder case related to a relationship with a different woman, adding to the shock.

As a result, strong criticism has emerged, stating, "While there are cases where leniency is allowed, the bigger problem is that it did not end with just one incident," along with Murphy's Law, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong," becoming a topic of public discussion.

Additionally, criticism has been raised regarding candidate Lee Jae-myung's case acceptance and defense, accusing him of "making excuses and irresponsibly blaming others."

Kim Jin-tae of the People Power Party, Chairman of the 'Lee Jae-myung Corruption National Verification Special Committee' [Yonhap News]

Kim Jin-tae, chairman of the People Power Party's 'Lee Jae-myung Corruption Public Verification Special Committee' (Chuncheon Gap Party Committee Chairman), stated on social media, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung defended a case in 2007 where a cohabiting woman was brutally retaliated against and murdered with pesticides and a sashimi knife," adding, "Regarding this, candidate Lee claimed that he only put his name on the case as a lawyer, and that the actual case acceptance and defense were handled entirely by lawyer Kim."

He continued, "However, upon verification by the Lee Jae-myung Corruption Special Committee, it was found that at that time, lawyer Kim had just completed the Judicial Research and Training Institute and was employed by lawyer Lee Jae-myung. Therefore, Lee Jae-myung also appeared as a co-defense lawyer in other organized crime cases he handled. (Seongnam District Court 2007GoHap66)"

He pointed out, "Having been a lawyer myself, it is almost unheard of for a first-year lawyer to take on such a case. This is especially true for murder cases, including the defense."

Special Committee Chairman Kim said, "Lawyer Lee Jae-myung appeared in court twice for the murder trial. Ultimately, candidate Lee is shifting all responsibility onto a junior lawyer who is 18 years his junior in terms of judicial exam cohort," sharply criticizing the candidate.

Meanwhile, Lee's camp explained regarding the defense of the cohabiting woman murder case in Seongnam Sujeong-gu, "This case was taken on around 2007 when candidate Lee was working with lawyer Kim. Candidate Lee only put his name as a defense lawyer," adding, "Lawyer Kim fully handled the case acceptance and preparation of the defense, and rather than actively defending in court, candidate Lee was just present, accompanying the proceedings."