Controversy Over Lee Jae-myung's Free Legal Representation: Song Doo-hwan, Human Rights Commissioner Nominee, Reported to Police

Sajunmo Claims "Violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act"

Song Doo-hwan, the nominee for Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 30th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] A civic group has reported Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung and National Human Rights Commission nominee Song Doo-hwan to the police over the controversy surrounding 'free legal defense' in an election law case.

The Association of Judicial Exam Preparers (Sajunmo) announced on the 31st that it filed a complaint with the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters against Governor Lee and nominee Song for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

In the complaint, Sajunmo stated, "Nominee Song is a former Constitutional Court justice and has also served as a special prosecutor for North Korean remittances, making him what is commonly referred to as a former high-ranking official in society," adding, "If listing one's name for free in high-ranking public officials' criminal cases does not constitute a violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, similar cases may recur, undermining the legislative intent of the Act."

Nominee Song was involved in a controversy over violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act after it was revealed that he did not receive a fee for defending Governor Lee in the 2019 election law appeal case. In response, Song stated at a parliamentary confirmation hearing the previous day, "Whether the fee is above or below 1 million won, I believe this does not constitute an act prohibited by the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act," and added, "The basic premise of the Act is job-relatedness, and there is no job-relatedness in this case."

Earlier, the conservative lawyer group Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea (Hanbyeon) also announced plans to file a complaint against Governor Lee and nominee Song with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. Hanbyeon argued, "Free legal defense constitutes a benefit prohibited by the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, and the appeal defense exceeds the amount prohibited by the Act," asserting, "Governor Lee and nominee Song clearly violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act."

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