"I'm deeply ashamed" ... Sujeong Lee pleads for leniency over false post claiming President Lee's sons were exempt from military service

[Financial News]  Sujeong Lee, a People Power Party district committee chair in Suwon Jeong, who was fined in the first trial for allegedly posting a false claim on social media that President Lee Jae Myung's two sons had been exempted from military service, pleaded for leniency during her appeal.
At the closing hearing of her appeal on the 29th, held before Criminal Division 14 of the Suwon High Court and presided over by High Court Judge Heo Yang-yoon, Lee cited as grounds for her appeal that she had posted the claim out of concern for the public interest, not to prevent the candidate from being elected, and that she corrected it as soon as she confirmed the facts. The case involves alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act, including the publication of false information and defamation of a candidate, as well as the Act on Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, including defamation.
Lee's attorney argued, "The defendant voluntarily deleted the post as soon as she confirmed the facts and repeatedly apologized afterward. Because the military service records of a candidate's immediate descendants are subject to public scrutiny by voters, when the disclosed facts concern the public interest, an intent to slander should in principle be presumed absent."
In her final statement, Lee said, "I am deeply ashamed and distressed that, despite spending 30 years assessing whether other people's statements were credible, I failed to question a single piece of information in my own hands." She added, "I would like to take this opportunity to once again offer my sincere apology to the person concerned and the family members whose hearts may have been hurt by my post."
She continued, "During the trial, I learned that my nearly 30-year teaching career could come to an end with my dismissal." She also asked for leniency, saying, "If I suddenly leave, it will not be easy to find someone to supervise the dissertations of the several students currently writing their theses in my laboratory."
The prosecution, for its part, asked the court to "dismiss the defendant's appeal" and uphold the lower court's ruling. If the court rejects the appeal as requested by prosecutors, Lee's sentence will remain a fine of 3 million won. Under the Public Official Election Act, a final sentence carrying a fine of 1 million won or more restricts a person's eligibility to run for office, including by barring them from standing in elections for five years.
Lee was previously indicted for allegedly posting a false statement on her Facebook account on May 28 last year, ahead of the previous presidential election, saying, "Candidate Lee and both his sons had all been exempted from military service." It was confirmed that President Lee's sons had both fulfilled their mandatory military service.
The sentencing hearing in Lee's appeal will be held at 2 p.m. on November 12.
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter