Controversy Over Nomination of Lee Eunhae's 'Valley Murder' Defense Attorney... People Power Party to "Fully Reconsider"

People Power Party Says, "Unaware During Interview Process"

The Seoul Metropolitan Chapter of the People Power Party has decided to re-examine the nomination of Deokhee Hong as the Guro-gu District Mayor candidate. The controversy arose after it became public that Hong had previously served as the defense attorney for Eunhae Lee, the main perpetrator in the 'Valley Murder' case.

Suspect Eunhae Lee in the 'Valley Murder' case. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On April 22, the Seoul chapter announced to the media that "no facts related to the reports were disclosed during the interview process," and stated that they would review the candidate's eligibility from the beginning.

Previously, JTBC reported that local party members were protesting the confirmation of Hong as the Guro-gu District Mayor candidate, citing his past role as legal counsel for Eunhae Lee, who murdered her husband for insurance money at a valley in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, in 2019.

The Seoul chapter explained the single-candidate nomination process, stating, "The heads of the Guro A and B regional party chapters recommended Hong as the sole candidate for Guro-gu District Mayor, and the Seoul chapter's nomination committee conducted an interview and decided on the nomination on April 19."

Hong's campaign committee released a statement on the 21st, saying, "Even heinous criminals must be guaranteed at least the minimum right to legal defense, and I took on the case as a pro bono public interest defense, based on my conviction in the rule of law."

The campaign committee emphasized, "No matter how heinous the criminal, the right to defense is enshrined in our Constitution and laws, which is why the public defender system exists. To criticize a defense lawyer for representing a heinous criminal in court is to wrongly equate the lawyer's views and position with those of the defendant."

Hong Deokhee, People's Power Guro-gu District Mayor Candidate. Hong Candidate's Facebook

Hong also personally explained why he defended the case at the time. On the same day, through his Facebook page, he wrote, "The father of Eunhae Lee, the person involved in the case, was disabled and depended on a wheelchair. He searched all over the legal district in Seocho-dong for as long as two weeks, trying to find a defense attorney for his daughter, but every lawyer turned him away, saying they were concerned about public opinion. In the midst of cold indifference, the father eventually arrived at my office, and the details of the case he shared appeared, from a legal perspective, to have points worth disputing."

He continued, "Even if the whole world throws stones and criticizes someone, there must remain 'one last person' willing to listen to the defendant. That is the very reason why the existence of a defense attorney is guaranteed by the Constitution and is a public duty. With that firm conviction and resolve, I am running in this local election to fulfill my public mission of working for a better life for Guro-gu residents."

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