National Investigation Headquarters Concludes Lee Junseok's "Sexually Violent Remarks" Case With Final Clearance

Chief of Investigation Headquarters Concealed Non-Referral Decision
No Charges Found for Violations of Information and Communications Network Act or Child Welfare Act

The National Police Agency Investigation Headquarters announced on November 26 that Lee Junseok, Representative of the Reform New Party, was ultimately cleared of all charges regarding his alleged "sexually violent remarks" during a presidential election TV debate.

Lee Junseok, Representative of the Reform New Party. Yonhap News Agency

In a press release on the same day, the Investigation Headquarters stated, "Upon detailed review of the case investigated by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and dismissed without referral (on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act, the Child Welfare Act, and the Public Official Election Act), we found no issues."

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency explained in the investigation result notification, "It is difficult to reject Representative Lee's claims, and there is insufficient evidence to conclude that he was aware of any falsehood at the time of his remarks."

Previously, on November 24, Sungjoo Park, Chief of the National Police Agency Investigation Headquarters, concealed the fact that the case had been dismissed without referral, stating at a regular press briefing that "the investigation is ongoing according to procedure and a conclusion will be reached soon," only for the decision to be revealed later.

Sungjoo Park, Chief of the National Police Agency Investigation Headquarters. Photo by Yonhap News

The day before, Representative Lee wrote on Facebook, "There is no reason for the police, under a Democratic Party administration, to deliberately make a favorable decision for Lee Junseok. There was no falsehood, and naturally, there was nothing problematic, so justice has prevailed."

He added, "From the perspective of a debate participant, if you ask artificial intelligence (AI), you get irrelevant answers; if you ask political questions, you get 'that's extreme' as a response; and if you raise hypothetical misconduct by family members, you get counterattacks and blame-shifting. My memory of the presidential election debates is that, rather than answering questions, it was always about waging a war of framing."