Former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young’s legal team has filed a complaint against Prosecutor Park Sang-yong (38th Judicial Research and Training Institute) for defamation. The complaint stems from Park’s appearance on a YouTube channel where he discussed the investigation process of the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case.
During the broadcast, Park allegedly claimed that Lee had already made up his mind and provided statements freely. Lee’s team contends this is false and implies that there was repeated pressure and coercion during the investigation.
On Thursday, Lee’s legal representatives reported Park to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, accusing him of abuse of power, leaking official secrets, and defamation through the dissemination of false information via information and communications networks.
Lee is currently serving a 7-year and 8-month prison sentence, confirmed last year, for accepting bribes exceeding 100 million KRW (about 69,700 USD) from the Ssangbangwool Group and conspiring to remit 8 million USD to North Korea. Due to his incarceration, his legal representative filed the complaint on his behalf.
Lee’s team argues that Park’s YouTube appearance, where he suggested Lee voluntarily reported the remittance to then-Governor Lee Jae Myung without external pressure, is a blatant lie and malicious distortion that severely damages the complainant’s reputation.
They assert that Lee’s statements were not voluntary, claiming that Prosecutor Park repeatedly pressured him by instilling fear that Lee’s spouse and son could also face arrest.
Separately, attorney Seo Min-seok, who represented Lee during the investigation, filed his own complaint against Park for defamation through the spread of false information.
Before submitting the complaint, Seo told reporters that Park’s statements make it seem as if all the fabricated testimony emerged during investigations he attended. This is a serious false claim that misleads viewers into thinking he was a lawyer who sided with the prosecution rather than one protecting his client’s interests.
On February 17, Park appeared on another YouTube channel, dismissing allegations of external pressure or inducement. He claimed that when Lee was freely providing statements after making a decision, Seo was trying to help him.
Lee’s team has consistently maintained that during the investigation leading up to the first trial verdict on the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case on June 18, 2023, prosecutors pressured him into making false statements implicating then-Democratic Party leader Lee Jae Myung.