Ex-lawmaker's acquittal sparks fierce political battle over prosecution tactics

Seoul – A political firestorm erupted over the weekend following the appellate court's acquittal of former Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Woong-rae on charges of receiving illegal political funds. The ruling People Power Party and opposition parties are locked in a fierce debate over the verdict and the actions of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, who spearheaded the prosecution.

The Democratic Party launched a strong offensive, demanding an apology from Han, now an independent lawmaker, accusing him of abusing state power and orchestrating a "manipulated prosecution and investigation." The party's spokesperson stated that it took nearly four years to rectify the "manipulated prosecution" by Han's "political prosecution team." They urged Han to apologize for turning an innocent person into a criminal.

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It took a full 3 years and 9 months to correct the manipulated prosecution and investigation created by Han Dong-hoon's political prosecution team, which abused state power.

Noh was indicted in March 2023 on charges of receiving a total of 60 million won across five instances between February and December 2020 for facilitating approvals for logistics centers and providing conveniences for power plant and solar power projects. He was found not guilty in both the first and second trials.

Han Dong-hoon swiftly retorted, challenging the Democratic Party on Facebook: "You say you did nothing wrong? Let's listen to the 'money envelope' recording together in the National Assembly." He argued that even if the acquittal was for procedural reasons, the substance of receiving the money envelope remains. He suggested that the acquittal did not erase the reality of the alleged transaction.

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Did you do nothing wrong? Let's listen to the 'money envelope' recording together in the National Assembly. Even if it was acquitted for formal reasons, the reality of receiving the money envelope does not disappear.

Other opposition figures joined the fray. Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Eon-ju criticized Han's stance, questioning if he believed illegally collected evidence was acceptable. She urged him to abandon his "lawyer's stubbornness" and offer condolences and an apology to Noh. Cho Kuk, head of the Cho Kuk Innovation Policy Research Institute, called Han's remarks "anti-constitutional sophistry" and accused him of remaining a "prosecutionist." He emphasized that prosecutors should not use illegally collected evidence, referencing his own trial where such evidence was allegedly ignored under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

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Is it acceptable to use illegally collected evidence? Abandon your lawyer's stubbornness, which hates to lose even a single word, and it is your duty to comfort and apologize to Noh Woong-rae, who was acquitted after enduring hardships.

Conversely, the People Power Party criticized President Lee Jae-myung's social media post following the verdict. Lee had written, "I had no choice but to cut off my arm like a loyal subject for the sake of the entire election... Senior Noh Woong-rae, I am sorry. I respect you. I love you." The ruling party's interim leader, Jang Dong-hyuk, argued that Lee's statement distorted the verdict's meaning, stating, "This is not a verdict that he did not receive money, but merely that illegally collected evidence was not recognized by the court." He questioned, "Is corruption by your own side 'good corruption'?"

Han Dong-hoon further commented on Facebook that President Lee's expression of apology and affection was merely a "build-up" to try and get his own case's indictment withdrawn. He asserted that the court's decision was based on the exclusion of evidence, not a determination of factual innocence.

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This is not a verdict that he did not receive money, but merely that illegally collected evidence was not recognized by the court. Is corruption by your own side 'good corruption'?