People Power Party Finalizes Nomination of Hong Deok-hee, Who Defended Lee Eun-hae in the Gapyeong Valley Murder Case, for Mayor of Guro District

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[The Financial News]  The People Power Party has finalized the nomination of Hong Deok-hee, a candidate for mayor of Guro District in Seoul, who drew controversy over his past defense of Lee Eun-hae in the so-called "Gapyeong Valley Murder Case."
On the 27th, the Seoul Metropolitan City Party of the People Power Party said in a media notice that, after a thorough reconsideration, it had decided to keep its original decision to nominate Hong.
Earlier, the Seoul party held its 17th meeting on the 19th and decided to nominate Hong as the sole candidate for mayor of Guro District. However, after the nomination, it was revealed that Hong had defended Lee Eun-hae, who was sentenced to life in prison in the so-called "Gapyeong Valley Murder Case," and the party decided on the 21st to review the nomination from scratch.
The People Power Party Seoul Metropolitan City Party Nomination Management Committee explained its decision to keep Hong's nomination, saying, "The controversial Lee Eun-hae case was handled pro bono, and the candidate explained that this was based on a lawyer's sense of responsibility that all people in South Korea must be guaranteed the minimum constitutional right to defense when they stand before the law."
It added, "The candidate overcame a difficult family background, growing up as the child of parents who worked as a tailor at Guro Industrial Complex and as a sewing factory worker, and realized his dream of becoming a lawyer. There was support and a request from party members in Guro who said he could become a source of hope for Guro." It also said, "We made our decision after comprehensively considering the candidate's overall career and capabilities, and we decided to accept the strong request from the Guro District A and B party organizations."
Meanwhile, Lee Eun-hae was indicted and detained on charges including murdering her husband, Yoon Sang-yeop, at Yongso Valley in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, on June 30, 2019, and the Supreme Court of Korea finalized her life sentence in September 2023.
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newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter