'Contact with North Korean Agent' Lee Jeong-hoon Denies Charges in First Trial... "Security Authorities Fabrication"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Lee Jeonghoon, a research fellow at the 4·27 Era Research Institute (age 57), who was arrested and indicted on charges of meeting with North Korean operatives to exchange instructions and reports, and publishing pro-North Korean materials, denied the charges at his first trial.

On the morning of the 24th, Judge Yang Eunsang of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 18 presided over the first trial of Lee, a civilian research fellow, who was indicted for violating the National Security Act.

Previously, Lee was brought to trial on charges of meeting four times with a North Korean operative identified as Mr. A since 2017, reporting on his activities and the trends within the domestic progressive camp, and receiving training on how to send and receive encrypted instructions and reports. Mr. A was investigated to have infiltrated South Korea in April 2017 disguised as a Japanese-Peruvian national.

Lee is also accused of publishing two books from 2018 for about a year that defended or praised North Korea’s Juche ideology, hereditary dictatorship, military-first politics, and possession of nuclear weapons. Additionally, from October of the same year for about 11 months, he allegedly received encrypted instructions via overseas web hard drives from North Korea’s anti-South Korean operations agency and sent 14 reports in five instances.

At the trial, Lee’s defense attorney stated, "The defendant did not meet or communicate with members of an anti-state organization, nor did he praise or encourage actions that threaten the existence of the state or the basic order of liberal democracy," denying all charges.

Lee himself claimed in court, "I cannot help but be shocked by the fabricated investigation and evidence manipulation by the security authorities," and added, "I have confirmed the truth that as long as the irrational system created by the National Security Act operates, the temptation for manipulation by the security authorities will not change even as times change."

The court decided to hold a preparatory hearing on the 1st of next month to set the prosecution and defense’s plans for presenting evidence.

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