The book "Goodbye Lee Jae-myung," which deals with the sibling conflict of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate [Photo by Kyobo Bookstore]
[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The court dismissed the injunction request to ban the sale and distribution of the book "Goodbye, Lee Jae-myung," which deals with the conflict between the Democratic Party's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his late older brother Lee Jae-seon.
The Seoul Northern District Court's 1st Civil Division (Chief Judge Jung Moon-sung) on the 20th dismissed the injunction request filed by the Democratic Party against the publisher Jiwoo Publishing, which published "Goodbye, Lee Jae-myung," seeking to prohibit the dispatch and sale of the book.
The court stated, "The morality, integrity, and proper handling of duties of public officials should always be subject to public scrutiny and criticism," adding, "The function of monitoring and criticism should not be easily restricted unless it is a malicious or manifestly unreasonable attack."
It further added, "Considering the need to guarantee freedom of expression, allow legitimate suspicion, and ensure the public's right to know, it is difficult to see that the content of this book is not for the public interest or that it constitutes a malicious or manifestly unreasonable attack on the candidate."
The Democratic Party argued against the book's claim that the candidate tried to forcibly hospitalize his older brother, stating, "(Lee) showed abnormal behavior by directly instructing public officials and threatening and assaulting family members," and "He had been suffering from mental illness since around 2012."
However, the court said, "There is insufficient evidence to conclude that Lee was suffering from mental illness at the time, and there is no objective data to prove this," and "Considering that the causes of mental illness onset or worsening can be diverse in life, it is difficult to say that it has been proven that the content is untrue."
The Democratic Party also claimed that the book's content alleging that trillions of won in profits from the Daejang-dong development went to the candidate's close associates was false, but the court judged, "It is evident that former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu and others are currently on trial for corruption related to the Daejang-dong development project, and there have been numerous media reports," adding, "It is difficult to say that it has been proven that this part of the content is untrue."
This book is authored by lawyer Jang Young-ha, who reported the candidate's alleged ties to organized crime to the opposition party, and has been on sale at major bookstores since the 24th of last month.
The Democratic Party filed an injunction request on the 22nd of last month to ban the dispatch and sale of this book. At the first hearing on the 28th of the same month, the Democratic Party argued, "The book contains content that constitutes 'publicly stating facts to defame a candidate or their spouse, direct ascendants or descendants, or siblings with the intent to influence the election' under the Public Official Election Act," and "It would be acceptable to publish after the presidential election, but before that, there is a high risk of influencing the election."
In response, Kim Yong-sung, CEO of Jiwoo Publishing and the respondent, said, "I believe it is a violent act by the powerful Democratic Party to deprive the public of their right to know," adding, "The book's content is not new facts but a compilation of previously known information organized chronologically."
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