The Democratic Party responded on June 20 to the conviction of former Gyeonggi Province Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young, who was sentenced to four months in prison for perjury related to allegations of a "salmon drinking party." The party emphasized that the core charges, aside from perjury, were either found not guilty or dismissed, countering the criticism from the People Power Party.
In a written briefing, Democratic Party spokesperson Lee Joo-hee stated, "It is a clear distortion of public opinion to focus solely on the perjury charge without the specific details of the ruling being released."
She further explained that the political funding law violation charge, which the People Power Party strongly asserted, was unanimously found not guilty by the jury, while the allegations of abuse of power related to North Korean aid were dismissed by the court.
Lee added, "The court's ruling that the prosecution infringed on the defendant's right to defense by charging him as an accomplice without evidence supports the allegations of illegal investigations and coerced testimonies that the Democratic Party uncovered during the recent national investigation." She described the dismissal of charges as a judicial judgment revealing the true nature of political manipulation.
Regarding the perjury charge, which was upheld, she noted that the jury's decision was split 4 to 3, indicating a lack of consensus. She stressed the need for a thorough review of the facts and legal interpretations in the appellate court, as the ruling is not yet final.
The Democratic Party urged the People Power Party to refrain from distorting the ruling, which largely did not support their claims, and called for an end to political attacks.
In light of recent exchanges between the parties, the Democratic Party criticized the use of the term "dictatorship" to describe a government chosen by the people as inappropriate, urging the People Power Party to stop irresponsible rhetoric and be more cautious with their words.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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