'Nephew Murder Case Defense' Lee Jae-myung Requests Dismissal of Bereaved Family's Compensation Lawsuit "Denies All Claims"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted a written response to the court requesting the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against him by the bereaved family of a murder case involving his nephew, whom he had previously defended as a lawyer.

According to Lee Byung-chul, the plaintiff's legal representative, Lee submitted the written response on the 21st to the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 28 (Presiding Judge Lee Yoo-hyung). In the response, Lee stated, "Please dismiss the plaintiff's claim," and "I generally deny all the facts claimed by the plaintiff."

He added, "The defendant is currently investigating the facts to prepare a detailed response," and "Once the specific facts are ascertained, a detailed preparatory document regarding the cause of the claim will be submitted."

Previously, Lee's nephew, Kim (last name withheld), visited the home of Mr. A in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, on May 8, 2006, and attacked Mr. A's spouse and daughter with a pre-prepared weapon, killing them. During this incident, Mr. A escaped by jumping from the balcony of the fifth-floor apartment, sustaining serious injuries. Lee served as the defense attorney for Kim in both the first and second criminal trials. His argument that Kim was in a state of diminished mental capacity during the trials was recently reexamined and sparked controversy. Kim was sentenced to life imprisonment in both trials and withdrew his appeal, making the verdict final.

In response to the controversy, Lee recently mentioned his experience defending his nephew, stating, "One of my relatives committed a serious crime related to dating violence in the past, but the family could not afford to hire a lawyer, so as the only lawyer in the family, I had no choice but to take on the defense."

Mr. A filed a claim for 100 million KRW in damages last December, stating that Lee caused him mental distress by referring to his nephew's murder case as "dating violence" on social media.

The court planned to issue a first-instance verdict without a hearing on the 17th of next month, as Lee's side had not submitted a written response despite receiving the complaint. However, with Lee's submission of the written response on this day, there is now a possibility that the verdict date will be postponed.

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