Calls for a Full Reinvestigation of the Incident
Claims of "Systematic Involvement by Power Agencies"
Youngkyo Seo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, called for a full reinvestigation into the "Gadeokdo stabbing incident" during President Lee Jaemyung's tenure as party leader in January 2024, raising suspicions of concealment and downplaying of the case.
On the 18th, through a press release, Representative Seo stated, "There is a major incident that was not included in the special prosecutor's investigation but absolutely cannot be overlooked," referring to the Gadeokdo stabbing incident during President Lee Jaemyung's time as Democratic Party leader. Seo further characterized the incident as a political act of terror and argued that the case was deliberately concealed and minimized.
She pointed out, "The National Intelligence Service disguised the 'Strongarm' combat dagger, which is designed to kill, as a simple box cutter, and the police reduced a fatal stab wound to the wrist vein to a 1 cm laceration." Representative Seo released the weapon used in the incident at the time, adding, "Despite the existence of a brutally clear video of the crime, the public was deceived as if it were merely a scratch from a stationery knife."
Seo also questioned who authored the report issued by the National Intelligence Service after the court ruling, stating, "It was former prosecutor Kim Sangmin, who was arrested on charges of offering a painting to Kim Keonhee and requesting a nomination." She further claimed that Kim, who was at the center of the Myeong Taegyun Gate scandal, sat as a legal advisor at the National Intelligence Service and classified the terror attack on the main opposition party leader as a simple accident. Seo condemned this as "not a coincidence, but a thoroughly calculated case of 'systematic intervention by power agencies' and intentional distortion, following guidelines from higher authorities."
She also highlighted problems revealed during the police investigation. Representative Seo stated, "The behavior of the police was not an investigation, but at the level of an 'accomplice,'" adding, "Instead of securing the scene with a police line, they brought in bottled water and washed the crime scene, destroying evidence." She continued, "Even though the National Intelligence Service's joint investigation team visited the scene twice, Ok Youngmi, Chief Superintendent of Gangseo Police Station, dismissed them, saying, 'We will handle it ourselves,' and sent the NIS away. Who gave the orders for such an illogical reporting line that neutralized the investigation system, preventing even the main counter-terrorism agency from accessing the site?"
President Lee, who was the party leader at the time, was stabbed in the left side of his neck by a weapon wielded by a 67-year-old man surnamed Kim while visiting Gadeokdo, Busan, on January 2, 2024. He underwent surgery and was hospitalized at Seoul National University Hospital after first being treated at Pusan National University Hospital. Kim was later sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted murder and violation of the Public Official Election Act.
The Office of the Prime Minister plans to convene the "22nd National Counter-Terrorism Committee" on the 20th to deliberate and decide whether to designate President Lee's stabbing incident as an act of terrorism. The Prime Minister's Office explained, "Prime Minister Kim decided to convene the National Counter-Terrorism Committee after reviewing the results of the reactivation of the joint counter-terrorism investigation team requested from the National Intelligence Service and the legal review by the Ministry of Government Legislation regarding the terrorism designation." The National Counter-Terrorism Committee, based on Article 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, consists of the Prime Minister as chairperson and 20 heads of related counter-terrorism agencies.
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