"‘Pain from Lee Jae-myung’s Remarks’ Bereaved Family of ‘Mother-Daughter Murder Case’ Files Compensation Lawsuit, First Trial Today"

Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The first hearing of a 100 million won damages lawsuit filed by a victim who lost their family due to a murder committed by Lee Jae-myung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, in 2006, is set to take place.

On the 9th at 3:30 PM, Judge Lee Yoohyung of Civil Division 28 at the Seoul Central District Court will preside over the first trial hearing of the damages claim lawsuit filed by the bereaved family member A against Lee.

Lee’s side recently submitted a written statement to the court apologizing to the plaintiff (the bereaved family) for the thoughtless expressions used. However, they added, "Because the specific incident was referred to in a condensed manner, the term 'serious crime of dating violence' was used," and "this expression does not contain facts or falsehoods constituting defamation."

Party A’s side stated, "We cannot acknowledge the sincerity of the formal apology through a representative," and urged, "Lee should apologize directly to the bereaved family."

Previously, Lee’s nephew visited the house of his girlfriend in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, in May 2006, and stabbed his ex-girlfriend and her mother multiple times with a weapon, killing them. The Supreme Court confirmed a life sentence. At that time, A escaped by jumping from the veranda of the 5th floor apartment and suffered serious injuries.

Lee served as the defense attorney for his nephew in the first and second trials and reportedly argued for a reduced sentence on the grounds of diminished mental capacity.

Regarding this, Lee mentioned ahead of the presidential election, "One of my relatives committed a serious crime of 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."

A filed a damages lawsuit worth 100 million won in December last year, claiming mental distress caused by Lee referring to his nephew’s murder case as 'dating violence' on social media (SNS).

The court initially planned to issue a ruling recognizing the claim since Lee did not respond after being served the complaint, but later canceled this after Lee’s side submitted a written response.

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