Ex-official jailed for perjury in South Korea; opposition slams 'manipulated investigation' claims

A South Korean court has sentenced former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young to four months in prison for perjury. The conviction is linked to his testimony concerning allegations of bribery and coercion during a prosecution investigation into the controversial "salmon and alcohol party" incident.

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The 'salmon and alcohol party' farce that the Democratic Party and President Lee Jae-myung's entire regime engaged in has finally ended.

The core of the case revolved around Lee's claim, made during a parliamentary hearing in October 2024, that he was offered alcohol and food like salmon and raw fish during his interrogation, suggesting prosecutorial coercion. However, the court, after a jury trial, found his testimony lacked credibility. A majority of the jury (4 out of 7) concluded that Lee had not been provided alcohol during the investigation, leading to the guilty verdict.

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We must hold those who perpetrated this farce accountable.

Following the ruling, opposition parties, including the People Power Party and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, launched a strong critique against the ruling party and President Lee Jae-myung. They labeled the prosecution's narrative of a "manipulated investigation" as a "grand deception" against the public. Han Dong-hoon warned President Lee against attempting to use his power to dismiss his own legal cases, stating it would lead to "impeachment and ruin."

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The 'manipulated investigation' frame by the ruling party and President Lee Jae-myung was ultimately a grand deception against the public.

The People Power Party's spokesperson, Park Sung-hoon, echoed these sentiments, calling the "salmon party" a fabrication used by the Democratic Party to discredit the investigation into the alleged payment of $8 million by Ssangbangul Group to North Korea, purportedly on behalf of President Lee when he was governor. The party urged President Lee and the Democratic Party to cease their "madness" of undermining the judicial system and heed public warnings. The Reform Party also called for an apology from the Democratic Party for misleading the public and attacking the judicial system with the non-existent "salmon party" story.

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No dictator in the world has ever tried to nullify the entire national judicial system and destroy the rule of law to erase their own crimes.