Lee Jae-myung Absent from Prosecution... "Will Respond in Writing to Written Statement Requests"

Accepted Opposition Party Theory the Day Before, Replaced with Written Statement
Lee Contemplates Attendance Request Until Morning
Prosecutors to Decide on Indictment by the 8th at the Earliest

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is making a phone call at the opening ceremony of the regular National Assembly session held at the National Assembly on the 1st. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, decided on the 6th not to comply with the prosecution's summons. This decision was based on the fact that Lee had submitted a written statement to the prosecution the day before. Accordingly, the prosecution will decide whether to indict Lee without conducting a face-to-face investigation.

Ahn Ho-young, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated in a written briefing that "Lee submitted the written statement requested by the prosecution the day before, including the necessary explanatory answers, to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and notified them by phone," adding, "Since the reason for the prosecution's summons was non-compliance with the written statement, and Lee has responded to the investigation, the reason for the summons has been nullified."

Earlier, the prosecution sent a written inquiry to Lee's side last month but, citing non-response, demanded his appearance. Therefore, the Democratic Party's position is that there is no problem even if Lee responds through a written statement.

Lee's decision not to appear seems to follow the recommendation made by the Democratic Party at an emergency party members' meeting the day before. The party members agreed to recommend that Lee replace the prosecution's summons with a written investigation instead of appearing in person.

On the 5th, at the emergency party members' meeting of the Democratic Party of Korea held at the National Assembly, Representative Lee Jae-myung and the members are holding picketing signs condemning the prosecution's summons of Representative Lee./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Within the party, many believe that the prosecution summoned Lee with political motives. Park Sung-jun, spokesperson, said on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" that "(the charge of false information disclosure) is an issue that has been sufficiently explained during the presidential election process through broadcasts and the media," and criticized, "The police and prosecution have led an excessive investigation using the law."

Seo Young-kyo, a Supreme Council member, also criticized on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show," saying, "There was no prior coordination procedure regarding the written request for Lee," and called it "a political demand and political content."

It is reported that especially ahead of the Chuseok holiday, it was judged that complying with the prosecution's summons could have adverse effects. If Lee appears at the prosecution's photo line and it is broadcast live on TV, the image of "suspect Lee Jae-myung" could be highlighted throughout the Chuseok holiday.

However, it is also reported that Lee was still deliberating on whether to appear until the morning of the day.

Candidate for Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 5th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Spokesperson Ahn also refuted the charges presented by the prosecution. Regarding last year's statement by Lee that "the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport threatened to accuse of dereliction of duty if the land use change was not approved," which is charged as false information disclosure, he argued, "The Ministry strongly pressured Seongnam City for land use change according to the government's sale deadline at the end of 2014, and during that process, Lee received reports that the Ministry threatened Seongnam city officials by saying they would accuse them of dereliction of duty," asserting it as factual.

Regarding Lee's interview statement last year that he "did not know the late Kim Moon-gi, head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation," Ahn defended, "Lee's memory of Kim started after he was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province and the election law lawsuit began," adding, "With over 4,000 Seongnam city officials and affiliated institution employees, and a mayor who meets dozens or hundreds of people daily, it is difficult to recognize and remember the heads of affiliated institutions' working teams."

Regarding the Daejang-dong incident, he said, "Due to pressure from the People Power Party, public development was abandoned, and a special purpose company (SPC) was created to carry out public-private joint development using private funds. Lee's statements revealing this at last year's audit are truthful."

With Lee refusing to appear, the prosecution will make a final decision on indictment based on the written statement without a face-to-face investigation. The indictment decision is expected as early as the 8th. When asked about concerns that non-compliance with the summons might negatively affect the investigation, spokesperson Ahn dismissed the issue, saying, "I don't think that is a problem."

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