Lee Jin-sook Sues Park Ji-won for Defamation: “I Never Said May 18 Was Carried Out by North Korean Troops”

[Financial News] Lee Jin-sook, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, sued Park Ji-won of the Democratic Party of Korea for describing her as “someone who says the May 18 Democratization Movement was carried out by North Korean troops.” 
Lee visited Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station on the afternoon of the 15th and submitted a complaint against Park for allegedly violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection by defaming her through the statement of false facts.
On the 13th, Park referred to Lee on his blog and social media accounts as “someone who says the May 18 Democratization Movement was carried out by North Korean troops.”
At a press conference before submitting the complaint, Lee asserted, “I have never said anywhere that May 18 was carried out by North Korean troops,” adding, “Park criticized me without even checking the facts.”
She continued, “Politicians must speak accurately if they want to earn trust in their words and change the world,” and criticized Park, saying, “He spread false information and undermined public trust in politicians.”
Lee also pointed out that the remarks had a greater impact because Park was a former director general of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). She said, “Because Park, speaking as a former NIS director general, said that I had stated that ‘May 18 was carried out by North Korean troops,’ several media outlets quoted and reported it,” adding, “He must apologize to the public and to me, Lee Jin-sook, and bear criminal responsibility. As the saying goes, ‘Power comes from the barrel of a gun.’ In modern politics, power comes from politicians’ mouths, but Park’s remarks were a dud and a botched firing of a bullet.”
Attorney Im Moo-young, Lee’s legal representative who attended the event, also stressed, “It is an even more serious matter because the lawmaker, who is a five-term legislator and a former NIS director general, made remarks that could mislead the public. The public has no choice but to think that such a person possesses highly accurate national intelligence, yet that person made such remarks about Lee,” adding, “Because he posted those statements on his blog and Facebook, he cannot escape legal responsibility. He may claim that it was a mistake, but even so, his intent in writing the post can be recognized.”
The complaint stems from controversy surrounding a forum on the May 18 Democratization Movement hosted by Lee. On the 13th of last month, Lee held the “National Assembly Public Forum on Reexamining the May 18 Democratization Movement” at the National Assembly Library of the Republic of Korea in Yeouido, Seoul, jointly with the New History National Movement. At the time, Young Hoon Lee, head of the New History National Movement, referred to the May 18 Democratization Movement as a “riot,” sparking controversy over historical distortion and disparagement.
Lee explained that the forum was “an event held on the premise that May 18 is defined as a democratization movement,” adding, “The remarks made were within the range of what can be said in an academic discussion.”
Lee has also filed a police complaint against Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on charges of insult. At a joint campaign rally of the Democratic Party of Korea in Jeonnam and Gwangju on the 15th of last month, Kim referred to Lee, saying, “If we cannot expel her, we will amend the National Assembly Act and remove her from the National Assembly by suspending her qualifications for one year,” adding, “We will ensure that neither a female Chun Doo-hwan nor a female Adolf Hitler can set foot in the Republic of Korea.”
[email protected] Park Seong-hyun Reporter