Woo Sang-ho "Whistleblower Indirect Murder? Political Boundaries Crossed"

'Lee Jae-myung Lawyer Fee Payment' Whistleblower
Opposition: "At the center of the continuous tragic deaths are Candidate Lee and the prosecution"
Ruling Party: "Opposition's claims are baseless and defamatory"

Woo Sang-ho, Democratic Party of Korea member. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 12th, Woo Sang-ho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, responded sharply to the People Power Party's "indirect murder" offensive, saying it "has crossed the political line." The People Power Party is calling for the resignation of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, claiming "indirect murder" in connection with the death of Mr. Lee (54), the first whistleblower of the "lawyer fee payment suspicion."

Woo appeared on CBS Radio's "One Match" that evening and said, "No matter how much you want to see immediate effects through politics, it is wrong to push the idea that the candidate is responsible by calling that person's death an indirect murder."

He criticized, "If someone related to candidate Yoon passed away due to illness, would you agree that it is Yoon's indirect murder? Politics going in that direction is excessive."

Then, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon, who appeared with him, asked, "But these incidents keep repeating. Is this just a coincidence?" Woo replied, "Does that mean we killed all those people?" Previously, in December last year, Yuhan-gi, former head of the Development Project Division at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, died by jumping before a warrant hearing related to the Daejang-dong investigation, and Kim Moon-gi, head of Development Division 1 who oversaw Daejang-dong affairs, also took his own life.

Woo said, "We are also embarrassed. We are frustrated by these recurring incidents, but what surprised me was that political leaders tried to make this death Lee Jae-myung's responsibility by using the term 'indirect murder.' The term 'indirect murder' is a terrifying word. It means killing someone indirectly. No matter how fierce political rivals are, there is no place for such accusations," he said emphatically.

When the host asked if it was a serious setback that three people have died so far related to Lee's suspicions, including Mr. Lee's death, Woo said, "The previous two people made extreme choices themselves, and the recently deceased Mr. Lee is likely to have died of natural causes, according to the police." He added, "There was no suicide note, no signs of suicide, no traces of intrusion, so it is unlikely to be homicide and more likely natural death."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is announcing his position on North Korea's missile launch after announcing the security recruitment personnel at the Yeouido Central Party Office on the 12th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 11th, Mr. Lee, a representative of a civic group who first reported the "lawyer fee payment suspicion" against candidate Lee, was found dead in a motel in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.

Mr. Lee had reported to the pro-Moon Jae-in group "Awakened Citizens Solidarity Party" a related recording, claiming that in 2018, candidate Lee gave 2 billion won in cash and stocks as fees to a lawyer appointed for a public election law violation case.

On the same day, the People Power Party visited the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to protest the discovery of Mr. Lee's death. Kim Ki-hyun, floor leader, Chu Kyung-ho, deputy floor leader, and about 20 lawmakers held placards in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office reading "Indirect Murder! Investigate Thoroughly!"

Floor leader Kim said, "Tragic and shocking incidents keep happening. At the center of these tragic deaths are candidate Lee and the prosecution," and claimed, "Due to the illegal acts of candidate Lee and the prosecution, tragic lives continue to be lost."

In response, the Democratic Party's election campaign public relations team issued a statement saying, "The People Power Party is making baseless slanderous claims as if they were waiting for the deceased's death," and urged, "We call for restraint from any political offensives until the exact cause of death is revealed."

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