Lee Dong-gwan "Apologize for Child School Violence Controversy... Cannot Remain Silent on 'Kadera' Exposures" (Update)

First Statement After School Violence Controversy
Lee Special Reporter "Distorted and Exaggerated Through Media and SNS"

Lee Dong-gwan, the Special Advisor for External Cooperation at the Presidential Office, who has been embroiled in controversy over 'child school violence,' issued his first statement on the 8th, saying, "Regardless of the facts, I deeply apologize for the school violence controversy involving my child during high school." The advisor particularly described the allegations about his child's school violence, mainly coming from the opposition, as 'hearsay-style revelations,' expressing concern that they are causing mental and actual harm to the victimized students and requested to stop producing fake news.

The Presidential Office conveyed Lee's 'position on the school violence controversy' through a notice to the press corps in the afternoon. Lee apologized for the school violence controversy during his child's high school years and explained, "Since I was not even nominated as a public office candidate, responding to various suspicions against me is neither proper nor right toward the appointing authority, so I have refrained from official responses until now."

He continued, "However, recently, even the opposition party leader has indiscriminately continued 'hearsay-style' revelations, which have been distorted and exaggerated, spreading through the media and SNS, and I judged that I could no longer remain silent," adding, "Putting aside myself and my family, what concerns me most is that this is causing mental and actual harm to the related students who are living sincerely as members of society."

Former Senior Secretary Dong-kwan Lee / Photo by Yonhap News

Addressing the political circles and the media, he said, "To correct at least the facts, I am issuing this statement and ask the political circles to stop irresponsible revelations and fake news production for political strife," and "I also request journalists to provide balanced reporting based on facts."

As Lee is reportedly a strong candidate for the new Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, the school violence incident involving his child has once again drawn attention. Lee's son was suspected of repeatedly hitting and bullying classmates while attending Hana High School, an autonomous private high school, in 2011 during the Lee Myung-bak (MB) administration.

The allegations of school violence by Lee's son were officially raised after the MB administration ended, in 2015, by the Seoul Metropolitan Council's 'Special Committee for Administrative Investigation into Hana High School Favoritism Allegations.'

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly the day before, "Lee Dong-gwan, who was called the key figure of the MB administration, is said to have a child who was the biggest perpetrator of school violence at Hana High School at that time," and urged the withdrawal of Lee's nomination as Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, saying, "The school violence committee was never held, and he smoothly entered a prestigious university, which cannot be compared to the Jeong Soon-shin incident."

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