Lee Nak-yeon's Side: "Lee Jae-myung's Strange Litigation Costs... Lee's Assets Increased Despite Tens of Billions in Lawyer Fees"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 29th, the camp of former Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Nak-yeon launched an offensive against Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung over allegations that he received free legal defense from former National Human Rights Commission Chairman Song Doo-hwan in a violation of election law case.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Park Rae-yong, spokesperson for Lee Nak-yeon’s campaign, issued a statement saying, "A total of about 30 lawyers were appointed during the two-year trial," and pointed out, "It is common knowledge in the legal community that lawyer fees would have cost at least several hundred million to several billion won, yet Governor Lee’s assets actually increased during the trial period."

Spokesperson Park said, "The assets reported by Governor Lee in 2017, just before the trial, were 2.68 billion won. By 2021, when the trial ended, they had increased to 2.86 billion won, an increase of 170 million won," adding, "'Where did the money for the first, second, and third trials, which must have cost quite a lot, come from? It’s baffling beyond belief."

Yoon Young-chan, the political affairs director of Lee Nak-yeon’s campaign, also stated at the regular Sunday press briefing, "How much Governor Lee’s litigation costs were is by no means a private matter," and emphasized, "Election law violation lawsuits are extremely important matters that determine whether one loses public office. The issue of lawyer fees is directly related to the assets of public officials."

He further argued, "If, as the camp claims, the defense was free or supported, it would fall under the realm of illicit solicitation," and "If Governor Lee covered the costs personally, it is a matter that must be clearly explained in relation to the increase or decrease in his assets."

Yoon said, "I don’t even want to imagine it, but if the lawyer fees were paid on his behalf, it would be a very serious problem," and added, "There is a precedent where former President Lee Myung-bak was sentenced to prison over the issue of lawyer fee payments."

He concluded, "I hope Governor Lee will provide a detailed explanation on this issue," and "I hope this matter will no longer cause controversy or spread further."

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