"Are You a Pro-Accuser Colluding with Conservatives?" Why Lee Jong-bae of Beopse-ryeon is Filing Charges [Exclusive Interview]

Daily Lawsuits and Complaints by Lee Jong-bae, Head of 'Beopseoryeon'
Suspected 'Political Organization' Receiving Donations in Collusion with Conservative Camp
Supports Livelihood by Nighttime Substitute Driving Part-Time Job... Absolutely No Donations Accepted
"I Just Want to Severely Punish Crimes by Those in Power"

On the morning of the 13th, Lee Jong-bae (43), the representative of the 'Action Alliance for Restoring the Rule of Law,' held a press conference to accuse Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Yoon Mi-hyang, Chu Mi-ae, the investigation into the 'media-prosecutor collusion' allegations... There is an organization that files complaints and accusations almost daily. It is the Action Alliance for the Restoration of the Rule of Law (Beopse-ryeon). They mainly continue to file accusations regarding pro-government issues. Because of this, some suspect that this is not a civic group but rather a kind of political organization colluding with the conservative camp to file accusations.

Additionally, there is criticism from the conservative side that this group is essentially a professional accusation organization funded by donations. Indeed, since the 'media-prosecutor collusion' allegations between former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae and Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon surfaced in April until the 14th of this month, Beopse-ryeon has filed 12 accusations related to this case. However, the representative emphasized that he barely makes a living by working part-time as a substitute driver at night while leading the organization. We met with Lee Jong-bae (43), the representative of Beopse-ryeon, who is tagged with various labels such as 'civic group,' 'conservative group,' and 'professional accusation group,' for an interview.

The following is a Q&A with Mr. Lee, the representative of Beopse-ryeon.

- Was there a turning point in your life? Why do you file so many accusations?

▲ Our organization mainly filed accusations during the Cho Kuk incident and the Yoon Mi-hyang incident, and recently filed accusations against Minister Chu Mi-ae in the media-prosecutor collusion case. From the perspective of our organization, which pursues fairness, justice, and the rule of law, we could not stand by silently during the Cho Kuk incident, which undermined social fairness and angered the entire nation due to Cho Kuk's double standards.

The same applies to the Yoon Mi-hyang incident, who is suspected of misappropriating funds from the Justice Memory Foundation, and recently, the abuse of power by Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae is so severe that it would not be surprising if she were immediately arrested. Filing accusations against illegal acts by Cho Kuk, Yoon Mi-hyang, and Chu Mi-ae is a natural duty as a civic group that must monitor and check power.

On August 28 last year, the "2nd Professor Cho Kuk STOP! Seoul National University Candlelight Rally" was held at Seoul National University in Gwanak-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the criticism that we file accusations excessively, I think it is not excessive just because the number of accusations is high. For example, progressive civic groups filed the same accusations against former lawmaker Na Kyung-won ten times each. Every accusation our organization files has meaning, so I do not consider it excessive.

- Some criticize Lee Jong-bae of Beopse-ryeon as a professional accuser by occupation. There is also criticism of so-called 'penal absolutism.' What do you think about this?

▲ In a country governed by the rule of law, I believe that if someone commits a crime by violating the law, they must be punished. Especially crimes by those in power cause harm to the people and can shake the discipline of the country, so they should be punished more strictly. If you look only at the number of accusations, I may seem like a professional accuser, but if you check the content, most accusations are against the shameless illegal acts of those in power. Each accusation has significance.

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- Filing many accusations must keep you busy with police, prosecution, and court appearances. Do you have a livelihood? If so, what is it and how do you make a living?

▲ I do not receive donations because I am afraid of being attacked for filing accusations excessively as a means of making money. Currently, I barely make a living by working part-time as a substitute driver and am preparing various things for livelihood stability.

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- Most accusations are directed at the ruling party. Some suspect you collude with the conservative camp to file accusations. What do you think about this view?

▲ Currently, since the ruling powers such as the Blue House and the Democratic Party exercise power, it is natural that a civic group whose mission is to monitor and check power files many accusations against ruling party figures.

Also, in cases like former lawmaker Na Kyung-won, progressive groups immediately file accusations against opposition figures, so our group does not need to intervene. Furthermore, those who think our group colludes with the conservative camp to file accusations probably suspect this because they have seen the progressive camp do so. Since this is a baseless suspicion, there is nothing to clarify or respond to.

Lee Jong-bae, representative of the Action Alliance for Establishing the Rule of Law, is explaining the purpose of the accusation as he enters the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu on the morning of May 20 to submit a complaint accusing Yoon Mi-hyang, elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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- There is also a cynical view that 'what changes by filing accusations?' Have there been any changes such as institutional improvements?

▲ We file accusations to have those in power who committed illegal acts pay the price through investigations by the authorities. What happens afterward is up to the investigative authorities. The results depend on how strongly and determinedly they investigate. If those in power who committed illegal acts are punished through accusations, society will become cleaner, and fairness, justice, and the rule of law will be properly established.

- Filing accusations must lead to many lawsuits. Is it psychologically or financially difficult?

▲ The arrogance and unilateral actions of the current ruling power are so severe that the people are suffering greatly and social discipline is collapsing. With the determination to correct this, I have been working hard without feeling the difficulties recently.

- How many accusations have you filed this year, and are there any cases under review?

▲ I think about 25 times. We do not set a fixed number; there are no cases to accuse yet, but if there are, we plan to review and file accusations.

On the morning of the 24th, Lee Jong-bae, the representative of the Action Alliance for Establishing the Rule of Law (Beopse-ryeon), is holding a press conference to report a source related to the KBS false report on collusion between prosecutors and media in front of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office in Sinjeong-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Beopse-ryeon, which stated it files accusations to severely punish crimes by those in power, recently filed a complaint with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office against the 'source' who reported the 'media-prosecutor collusion' between former Channel A reporter Lee Dong-jae (35, detained) and Prosecutor Han Dong-hoon (47, 27th Judicial Research and Training Institute) to KBS, accusing them of "providing false information."

On the morning of the same day, Beopse-ryeon held a press conference in front of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, stating, "The source provided false information to a KBS reporter, causing KBS to be misled, confused, or misinformed, resulting in false broadcasting, which clearly obstructed KBS's broadcasting duties," as the reason for the complaint.

Beopse-ryeon also stated, "If KBS does not reveal the source who provided false information, we will consider KBS an accomplice and file a complaint in the future."

Earlier, on the 18th, KBS reported that the recorded conversation between former reporter Lee and former prosecutor Han contained evidence that the two conspired to raise suspicions about Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, regarding the SillaJen case.

However, as the actual content of the released recordings differed from the report, KBS apologized, stating, "KBS reporters reconstructed the situation at the time based on various sources, but we apologize for expressing some unconfirmed facts in the article as definitive."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.