Complaint submitted to Seoul's Yeongdeungpo Police Station on Tuesday
People Power Party lawmaker denies ever saying uprising was North Korean operation
People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk has filed a defamation complaint against Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ji-won, accusing him of falsely claiming she said the May 18 pro-democracy uprising was carried out by North Korean forces.
Lee submitted the complaint to the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul on Tuesday afternoon, alleging defamation based on false statements.
Earlier, Park wrote on his blog and Facebook on Sunday, referring to Lee as "someone who says the May 18 uprising was the work of North Korean troops."
Speaking to reporters before filing the complaint, Lee said she had never, in any setting, stated that the May 18 uprising was carried out by North Korean forces. She added that she had no intention of making such a claim because she had no evidence to support it, and said Park "criticized me without verifying the facts."
She also said Park, a five-term lawmaker with more than 18 years in the legislature, had "spread false information and undermined public trust in politicians."
Lee's legal representative argued that the weight of Park's remarks was all the greater given his background as a former director of the National Intelligence Service.
Attorney Im Mu-yeong said that when a former NIS director speaks, the public assumes he has highly accurate knowledge of state affairs, national intelligence and North Korean issues. "If such a person says North Korean troops were involved in the May 18 uprising, the public takes it in a completely different way than they would a statement from an ordinary lawmaker," he said.
Im added that even if Park had made an honest mistake, the act of writing the post itself demonstrated intent, meaning criminal punishment could apply.
newday@heraldcorp.com
