PPP Demands Lee Jae-myung Drop Charges After Official Convicted of Perjury

South Korea's conservative People Power Party (PPP) has intensified its offensive against opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party, demanding they cease their pursuit of dismissing charges in a high-profile bribery case. The PPP's call follows a court's guilty verdict against Lee Hwa-young, former vice governor of Gyeonggi Province, who was convicted of perjury for fabricating testimony about alleged "salmon and soju" entertainment provided to him during interrogations.

The PPP argues that this judicial decision dismantles the core argument used by the Democratic Party to demand the dismissal of charges against Lee Jae-myung in the alleged third-party bribery case related to North Korean funds. PPP floor leader Jeong Jin-suk stated on Facebook that the basis for Lee Jae-myung's "obsession" with dismissing the charges has collapsed, urging him to abandon the effort. The party contends that the conviction validates the prosecution's investigation and indictments, thereby invalidating the Democratic Party's push for a special prosecutor with the authority to drop charges.

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The Democratic Party must abandon its obsession with the dismissal of charges.

Further amplifying the pressure, PPP lawmaker Na Kyung-won criticized the Democratic Party's extensive efforts, which she described as mobilizing their entire party power for "two years" to create a "fabricated salmon and soju party." She asserted that their "build-up for dismissal of charges" and "false fabrication show" had ultimately failed. The PPP insists that any attempts by the opposition to grant special prosecutors the power to dismiss charges, as proposed in legislation, should be withdrawn following the court's ruling.

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Their build-up for dismissal of charges, false fabrication show, has ultimately failed.