Forensic Autopsy Results Indicate 'Cause of Death: Aortic Dissection and Rupture'
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The first whistleblower of the allegation that Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, had his attorney fees paid by a third party was found dead in a motel, but the police denied suspicions of homicide.
The Gangseo Police Station in Seoul briefed on the autopsy results of Mr. Lee's death case on the 13th, stating, "There were no unusual external injuries that could have caused the death, and there were no other visitors at all."
The police received a missing person report at 8:35 p.m. on the 11th that Mr. Lee was out of contact with his family, and at around 8:42 p.m. on the same day, they found Mr. Lee dead in a motel located in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.
At the time, Mr. Lee was found lying covered with a blanket inside the motel. It was reported that medicine packages related to illnesses he usually suffered from were found around the body.
According to the police, the National Forensic Service (NFS), which conducted the autopsy, gave a preliminary verbal opinion stating, "No unusual external injuries that could have caused the death were found on the body," and "The cause of death is presumed to be aortic dissection and rupture."
Aortic dissection and rupture are heart conditions that mainly occur in elderly people, those with high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, or underlying diseases. A police official said, "We plan to clarify the exact cause of death through the final autopsy results, including blood and tissue analysis."
Additionally, after checking the closed-circuit television (CCTV) inside the motel, the police explained that since Mr. Lee last entered the room at around 10:45 p.m. on the 8th, there were no other visitors at all.
Mr. Lee was the person who reported to a civic group a recorded conversation alleging that Attorney Lee, who handled the candidate's public official election law violation case in 2018, received 300 million won in cash and 2 billion won worth of listed company stocks as attorney fees.
Based on this, the civic group filed a complaint with the prosecution accusing the candidate, who mentioned that the attorney fees of the defense team at the time were less than 300 million won, of false information disclosure.
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