Lee Jae-myung's Nephew Murder Victim's Family Files Appeal... "First Trial Verdict Illegal"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, holds a New Year's press conference at the National Assembly on the 12th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Myunghwan] The bereaved family of the 'nephew murder case,' who filed a lawsuit for damages against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, but lost, appealed the first trial ruling on the 13th.

Lee Byung-chul, the family's legal representative (Law Firm Chanjong), explained the reason for the appeal on the day, saying, "This ruling only judged one of the plaintiff's six claims and did not judge the remaining five at all, which is a serious violation." The bereaved family claimed that "Representative Lee made false statements contrary to the arguments he made during the murder case 16 years ago as a presidential candidate, causing damages," but the first trial court did not sufficiently examine this.

The representative added, "If we lose again at the appellate court, we will appeal to the Supreme Court and obtain a favorable ruling."

Lee's nephew, Kim, killed the woman he was dating and her mother with a weapon in May 2006 after the woman said she wanted to break up. The woman's father, Mr. A, escaped the crime but suffered serious injuries after jumping from the fifth floor of an apartment.

Lee, who handled the first and second criminal trials of Kim, who was charged with murder, argued in court that "Kim was in a state of diminished mental capacity with impaired impulse control" and requested a reduced sentence, but this was not accepted.

When this fact was reexamined ahead of the last presidential election, Lee claimed on his social media in November 2021 that "One member of my family committed a serious dating violence crime in the past, but since the family could not afford to hire a lawyer, I had no choice but to represent them."

Mr. A filed a lawsuit against Lee, claiming 100 million won, stating that "Representative Lee described the heinous and inhumane crime of the nephew's family serial murder case as 'dating violence,' which is a false statement."

On the previous day, Judge Lee Yoo-hyung of the Civil Division 28 at the Seoul Central District Court, who presided over the first trial, dismissed Mr. A's claim. The court judged that the term 'dating violence' broadly refers to various crimes occurring between lovers, so it is difficult to consider Lee's expression as a false statement.

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