DP Criticizes PPP's Offensive Over Lee Hwa-young's Perjury Conviction as "Clear Public Opinion Manipulation"

The Democratic Party (DP) stated today (June 20) regarding the four-month prison sentence handed down to former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young in his first-instance jury trial for perjury—stemming from allegations including the so-called "salmon and alcohol party"—that "the essence of the matter is that all other key charges, excluding perjury, were either acquitted or dismissed."

In a written briefing, Floor Spokesperson Lee Ju-hee addressed the People Power Party (PPP), which had labeled the verdict as "proof that the 'fabricated indictment' frame was a grand fraud against the public," by calling their reaction "clear public opinion manipulation."

She explained, "The charge of violating the Political Funds Act, which the PPP had strongly emphasized, resulted in a unanimous not-guilty verdict by the jury, and the court dismissed the charges related to abuse of power regarding North Korea support."

She further emphasized, "The court's judgment that the prosecution infringed upon the defendant's right to defense by indicting him as an accomplice without evidence proves that the allegations of illegal investigations and coerced statements, which the DP uncovered during the previous parliamentary investigation, have been largely acknowledged," adding, "The true face of this ruthless political maneuvering has been exposed through the judicial judgment of dismissal."

She also argued, "The perjury charge for which he was found guilty was also a narrow 4-to-3 decision by the jury," and claimed, "As the former Vice Governor has consistently testified to the substantive fact of the 'alcohol party' and even showed a 'truth' response on a lie detector test, it is difficult to conclude that this was intentional perjury."

She stated, "The verdict is not yet final, and there is a need to re-examine the specific reasoning through future appeals," adding, "I hope the PPP will stop its reckless attacks and rash behavior, and properly reflect on the essence of a ruling where most of their claims were rejected."

Spokesperson Lee criticized the PPP, saying, "Above all, the PPP must immediately apologize for the absurd and outrageous remarks daring to call the government chosen by the people a 'dictatorship'," and added, "The PPP, which condones insurrection-inciting behavior that violates the constitutional order and has its own members facing a series of investigations and trials, has no right to talk about dictatorship."

She continued her attack by saying, "President Lee Jae-myung has set an example of transparent state affairs and swift communication by personally briefing the public on the achievements of his European tour," and urged, "The PPP should stop its irresponsible wordplay, forgetting their own faults, and watch their mouths."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.