Investigation into Na Kyung-won's Defamation Allegation over "Hwang Unha's Interference in Ulsan Mayor Election"

Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha has filed a defamation lawsuit against former Liberty Korea Party floor leader and former National Assembly member Na Kyung-won, and the case has been received by the police.

According to a compilation of reports by Asia Economy on the 10th, the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station received the defamation complaint against former lawmaker Na on the grounds of false facts in mid-last month and completed the investigation of the complainant, lawmaker Hwang. The case was transferred to the Yongsan Police Station, which has jurisdiction over Na's residence, on the 30th of last month.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on February 28, former lawmaker Na attended a support declaration event by young members of the People Power Party for then-party leader candidate Kim Gi-hyeon held in Daegu, where she defended Kim's suspicion of 'speculative gains from land near the Ulsan KTX station.' In the process, she pointed out about lawmaker Hwang, "He is the person who intervened in the election to make a friend of former President Moon Jae-in the mayor of Ulsan," and said, "It is a comedy within a comedy that lawmaker Hwang is the head." In February, lawmaker Hwang was appointed as the head of the 'Kim Gi-hyeon Land Speculation Investigation Team' formed by the Democratic Party.

Former lawmaker Na's remarks are interpreted as referring to lawmaker Hwang, who is currently on trial for allegations of election interference and directed investigations during the Moon Jae-in administration in the Ulsan mayoral election. Hwang, a former chief of the Ulsan Police Agency, was indicted in January 2020 on charges of conducting targeted investigations against Kim, who was then the mayor of Ulsan, ahead of the 2018 local elections to ensure the election of Song Cheol-ho, a 30-year friend of former President Moon.

In response, on the same day, lawmaker Hwang announced on Facebook that he would file a defamation lawsuit against former lawmaker Na for spreading false information. Lawmaker Hwang stated, "There was no investigation conducted for the purpose of election interference," and claimed, "Although there were suspicions that lawmaker Kim was the core of local corruption, the police at the time refrained from investigation until after the election considering that he was a mayoral candidate." He added, "After the election, the investigation could not proceed due to obstruction by the prosecution."

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