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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

South Korean Opposition Leader Apologizes to Ex-Lawmaker Acquitted of Bribery Charges

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, apologized to former lawmaker Noh Woong-rae after Noh was acquitted of bribery charges in a second trial.
  • Lee had previously excluded Noh from the party's candidate list for the general election, citing the need to address "political prosecutors' misconduct."
  • Noh was initially accused of receiving 60 million won in illegal political funds and was acquitted in both the first and second trials due to illegally collected evidence.

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, has offered an apology to former lawmaker Noh Woong-rae following Noh's acquittal on bribery charges in a second trial. Lee stated that as party leader during the general election, he felt compelled to make a "painful sacrifice" by excluding Noh from the candidate list due to "political prosecutors' misconduct." He congratulated Noh on proving his innocence and expressed his belated apologies.

(During the 22nd general election) as party leader, I had no choice but to make a painful sacrifice due to the political prosecutors' misconduct. I offer my congratulations and belated apologies to Senior Noh, who has proven his innocence and escaped the danger of imprisonment.

— Lee Jae-myungExplaining his decision to exclude Noh from the election candidacy and apologizing after Noh's acquittal.

Noh Woong-rae was accused of receiving 60 million won in bribes over five instances between February and December 2020, allegedly in exchange for facilitating approvals for a logistics center and providing advantages for power plant and solar power projects. He was indicted in March 2023. However, the Seoul Central District Court acquitted Noh in both the first and second trials, citing illegally obtained evidence as grounds for dismissal.

I will definitely create a country where innocent citizens are not sacrificed due to the abuse of state power.

— Lee Jae-myungExpressing a commitment to preventing future injustices following Noh's case.

Lee's reference to a "painful sacrifice" stems from his decision in February 2024, when he was the Democratic Party leader, to remove Noh from the nomination for the Mapo-gu constituency in the 22nd general election. Lee framed this decision as necessary to counter the "misconduct of political prosecutors" and the "Yoon Suk-yeol regime" which he claimed was backed by them. The Mapo-gu seat was ultimately won by Cho Jung-hoon of the People Power Party.

Senior Noh, who was indicted by political prosecutors and had his political life taken away by the party, how unfair must he have felt?

— Lee Jae-myungEmpathizing with Noh's difficult situation and the perceived injustice he faced.

Lee expressed empathy for Noh's situation, stating, "How could anyone who is not the person involved possibly imagine how unfair it must have felt for Senior Noh, who was indicted by political prosecutors and had his political life taken away by the party?" He added that after Noh's exclusion from the nomination, a new candidate was put forward in Mapo-gu. Despite Noh having his political career cut short, he reportedly participated in campaign rallies to support the party's efforts in that district, which ultimately resulted in a loss. Lee lamented that Noh and the Democratic Party, as well as South Korean democracy, had lost too much, even after Noh's repeated acquittals.

The prosecution indicted him with fabricated evidence and frames.

— Kim Min-seokDemocratic Party leader, commenting on Noh's acquittal and accusing the prosecution of fabricating charges.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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