On Tuesday, the People Power Party criticized Democratic Party Representative Seo Young-kyo, who chairs the special committee investigating alleged political prosecution by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Seo’s claim that there was not a single remittance to North Korea for Governor Lee Jae Myung’s visit was denounced as blatant fake news and misinformation that directly contradicts the judiciary’s rulings.
The People Power Party’s Special Committee on Monitoring Fake News and Opposition Suppression, led by Representative Kim Seung-soo, held a press conference at the National Assembly. They stated that the court has consistently recognized, through rigorous evidence and legal reasoning across three trials in the Lee Hwa-young case, that Ssangbangwool remitted 8 million USD to North Korea, with part of it related to then-Governor Lee’s North Korea visit expenses.
The committee pointed out that Seo’s claim is based solely on a National Intelligence Service (NIS) document, which the prosecution didn’t submit to court. This document merely stated that the NIS couldn’t confirm a connection between Gyeonggi Province and Ssangbangwool, not that there was no connection.
They added that this document was irrelevant to proving the charges, so naturally, the prosecutor didn’t need to submit it. The court even rejected NIS documents submitted by the prosecution during the trial, deeming them unreliable based on third-party testimony. Even if this document had been submitted, it would have been just one of many pieces of evidence for the court to consider.
The committee suggested that if the Democratic Party insists on submitting this document as evidence, they can reopen President Lee’s trial. Instead of spreading misinformation, Representative Seo should submit all unreleased NIS documents for proper judicial scrutiny.
During a party leadership meeting at the National Assembly, floor leader Song Eon-seok stated that the current administration has mobilized all government agencies, including the National Assembly, Ministry of Justice, special prosecutor, and NIS, to dismiss charges against President Lee in the North Korean remittance case. After appointing the attorney for the North Korean remittance as chief of staff, the NIS began insisting the remittance was fabricated, contradicting the court’s ruling.
Party spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon criticized in a statement that the second comprehensive special investigation taking over the allegations of coercion in North Korean remittance testimony from the prosecution, despite lacking authority, is a clear abuse of power. It’s a planned referral aimed at undermining the judicial system and granting President Lee a pardon. The Democratic Party’s scheme to whitewash the North Korean remittance case, which the president aims to complete, is revealing its true, unsavory nature.