Lee Jae-myung Decides Not to Comply with Prosecution Summons, "No Reason to Appear Since Lee Has Answered the Questions in Writing"

Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung makes an opening comment at a general meeting of the party’s lawmakers at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on September 5. National Assembly press photographers

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea announced on September 6 that he would not comply with a prosecution summons. Since the reason for the summons was Lee’s failure to answer the questions in writing, now that he has submitted a written statement, there is no longer a reason for him to appear before the prosecutors. Lee also argued that the allegation that he published false information was not true.

This morning, in a written briefing, An Ho-young, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea announced, “Since we have agreed to the prosecutors’ request for answers in writing and submitted the written statement, Lee Jae-myung will not appear for questioning since there is no longer any reason for the summons.” He further said, “Lee will not be dragged around by political oppression in the form of inventing a pretext for a quarrel.”

An also said, “The prosecutors said the grounds for the summons was Lee Jae-myung’s failure to answer their questions in writing, and in the confirmation hearing, prosecutor general nominee Lee Won-seok said that the summons was to give Lee a chance to give an explanation.” The Democratic Party spokesperson said, “The dominant view inside and outside the party is that Lee Jae-myung should not be dragged around by this political oppression executed in the form of inventing a pretext for a fight.”

An continued and said, “Thus, Lee Jae-myung answered the questions necessary to explain his position in writing as requested by the prosecutors, and sent it to the Central District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday afternoon and also notified the fact over the phone.” He stressed, “Since the reason for the prosecution summons was Lee’s failure to submit his answers in writing, now that he has, obviously, there is no longer any reason for the summons.”

Earlier on September 1, prosecutors sent Lee a notice requesting him to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office at 10 a.m. September 6 on the charge of publication of false information in connection with the development projects in Baekhyeon-dong and Daejang-dong. They argued that Lee’s comment during the parliamentary inspection last year that he “had no choice but to change the land usage due to threats from the land ministry” concerning allegations of special favors linked to the development of Baekhyeon-dong could be seen as publication of false information.

The Democratic Party spokesperson argued that Lee’s comment in question was not publication of false information. As for Lee’s statement about “threats from the land ministry,” An explained, “At the time of the Park Geun-hye government, the land ministry demanded that the usage of the land for the relocation of public enterprises be changed to residential land use for the quick sale of the land, but the Seongnam city government refused in order to lure businesses.” He further argued, “Due to the government’s deadline for the sale, the land ministry put strong pressure on Seongnam to change the land usage, and in this process, Mayor Lee Jae-myung received a report that the land ministry threatened the civil servants in the Seongnam city government with accusations of dereliction of duty.”

As for Lee’s comments concerning allegations linked to Daejang-dong, An explained, “A People Power Party (Saenuri) lawmaker blocked the public development by LH and opened the door for private development, and when Lee Jae-myung, the mayor at the time, tried to promote public development again, all the People Power Party (Saenuri) members of the Seongnam City Council unanimously blocked the establishment of a city corporation and the issuance of local bonds to force the city to abandon public development and promote private development by making public development impossible.” He argued, “Lee Jae-myung’s statement, which revealed this, in last year’s parliamentary inspection was true.

As for Lee’s comment during a media interview claiming he did not know the late Kim, a director at Seongnam Development Corporation, An explained, “Lee’s memory of Director Kim is from after the Public Official Election Act litigation following his election victory in the race for Gyeonggi governor,” and argued, “There are over four thousand civil servants and employees in the Seongnam city government and affiliated agencies. It is hard for an elected mayor, who meets dozens to hundreds of people a day, to recognize and remember a working-level director of an affiliated agency.”