Lee Jae-myung: "Prosecutors Dismissed Without Investigating Yoon on 'Kim Man-bae Didn't Know'"

Lee "Lee Jae-myung, who said he didn't know Kim Moon-ki, indicted... The court will reveal the truth"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised concerns about the fairness of the prosecution's investigation as he appeared in court.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is accused of making false statements during the presidential election process, raises his hand as he attends the first trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 3rd. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 3rd, as Lee appeared at the afternoon trial held at the Seoul Central District Court, he said, "Regarding Yoon Seok-yeol (presidential) candidate's statement that he 'did not know Kim Man-bae,' the prosecution dismissed it without investigation, but after a search and seizure, they indicted me for saying I did not know Kim Moon-gi."

He added, "I believe the court will properly clarify this unfairness."

Lee, who was indicted on charges of making 'false statements' during the presidential election process, denied all charges at the first trial held that day.

At the first hearing presided over by the Criminal Division 34 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Kang Gyu-tae), regarding whether Lee knew the late Kim Moon-gi, head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation during Lee's tenure as mayor of Seongnam, Lee's side argued that even if he met Kim several times, saying he 'did not know' him was not a false statement.

Lee was indicted on charges of publicly announcing false information in a broadcast interview on December 22, 2021, when he was the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, stating that he "did not know Kim Moon-gi, a subordinate employee involved in the Daejang-dong development project, during his time as mayor."