Yoon's March 1st Speech and Criticism of Jeong Soon-shin Incident
Opposition: "If Same Standards Apply, Yoon Should Be Investigated"
On the 3rd, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who appeared in court as a defendant, attended the morning Supreme Council meeting and carried out his duties as party leader. When asked by reporters about his plan to clarify matters during the trial, he refrained from commenting except to say, "Please cover it in court," while delivering sharp criticism of the current administration during the open meeting.
Before attending the trial that morning, Lee participated in the party's Supreme Council meeting and directly criticized President Yoon Seok-yeol's remarks at the March 1st Independence Movement Day commemorative ceremony. He stated, "The Yoon administration's view of history has reached an intolerable level," and pointed out, "The founding ideology and constitutional spirit of the Republic of Korea were completely denied by the words of the President of Korea."
He also addressed the school violence controversy involving the son of lawyer Jeong Soon-shin, who resigned from the position of head of the National Investigation Headquarters, calling it "a disaster caused by the arrogant sense of privilege of the prosecutor dictatorship regime, where prosecutors close to the President are exceptions to established principles and procedures." Furthermore, he argued for a comprehensive review of foreign trade and commerce policies, saying, "The trade balance has sounded the final warning," and "It has been in deficit for 12 consecutive months since the IMF foreign exchange crisis."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 3rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
On that day, the party's Supreme Council meeting, which is usually held at 9:30 a.m., was advanced by 30 minutes to 9 a.m. This was to ensure that Lee would attend the morning Supreme Council meeting even if he appeared at the trial. However, no public schedule was set for the afternoon.
Nevertheless, Lee avoided answering reporters' questions about his plan to clarify matters. After the Supreme Council meeting, reporters asked him about his feelings and which parts he planned to clarify during the trial, but he did not respond. He then said, "The court is open to the public, so it would be better to cover it in court," before getting into his car. It was reported that Lee did not make any statements upon entering the courthouse that day.
Park Sung-jun, the party spokesperson, said during a back briefing after the Supreme Council meeting, "He was indicted over a slip of the tongue during political debate interviews in the presidential election process," and countered, "If this is the standard, shouldn't President Yoon also be investigated for spreading false information during his candidacy?" He also mentioned that the party's legal committee had filed a complaint last year against President Yoon for spreading false information.
Lee is accused of publicly disseminating false information by stating in a broadcast interview on December 22, 2021, when he was the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, that he "did not know" the late Kim Moon-gi, head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, during his tenure as mayor. The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 34 (Presiding Judge Kang Gyu-tae) will hold Lee's first trial session on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act at 10:40 a.m. that day.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
