Lee Jin-sook Files Complaint Against Park Jie-won: "May 18 North Korean Operation? I Never Said That"

Defamation Charges under the Information and Communications Network Act
"Serious Concern Over Remarks by Former NIS Chief"

Lee Jin-sook, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, has filed a police complaint against Park Jie-won, a member of the Democratic Party, for labeling her as someone who claimed that the May 18 Democratization Movement was orchestrated by North Korean forces.

Lee Jin-sook, a member of the People Power Party, is answering questions from the press at Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul on the 15th. Photo by Ji-ye Lee

On the 15th, Assemblywoman Lee filed a complaint at Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul, accusing Park of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. The complaint stems from Park’s social media post on the 13th, in which he referred to Lee as “someone who says the May 18 uprising was the work of the North Korean military.”

Lee asserted that she has never claimed the May 18 Democratization Movement was a North Korean operation, yet Park categorically spread false information as if she had actually made such remarks. Speaking to reporters before submitting the complaint, Lee stated, “If you search any article on the internet, you won’t find a single quote of me saying May 18 was the work of the North Korean military,” and urged Park to apologize to the public and take responsibility.

She also clarified that the recently controversial forum related to May 18 was not intended to promote the theory of North Korean involvement. Lee explained that the forum held at the National Assembly Library on the 13th of last month was premised on recognizing May 18 as a democratization movement and focused on discussions about the selection process for meritorious individuals, among other topics.

Lee’s legal team particularly emphasized that Park’s remarks were especially impactful given his status as a five-term lawmaker and former Director of the National Intelligence Service. They argued that after Park’s post was made on social media, media outlets began citing it, further spreading the falsehood. Lim Moo-young, Lee’s attorney, stated, “Because Park is a former head of the National Intelligence Service, the public assumes he is accurately informed about national intelligence and North Korea. Claiming that Assemblywoman Lee made such statements is an extremely serious matter.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.