Soojung Lee Pleads for Leniency in Appeal, Says She 'Believed Post Claiming President Lee Jaemyung's Sons Were Exempted from Military Service' Was True

Soojung Lee, People Power Party Suwonjeong District Chair

Claims "Post was online for only 9 minutes," maintains innocence

Soojung Lee, Chair of the Suwonjeong District Committee of the People Power Party, who posted false claims online stating that President Lee Jaemyung's two sons were exempted from military service, pleaded for leniency in her appeal trial.

Soojung Lee, Chair of the Suwon-Jeong District of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News

On September 29, during the final hearing of the appeal case at the 14th Criminal Division of the Suwon High Court (presiding judge: Heo Yangyoon) on charges including violations of the Public Official Election Act, Lee's attorney stated, "The defendant mistakenly believed the image content to be true, due to fragmented memories and misunderstanding. She had no awareness of the possibility that this information was false, and as such, this case should not be subject to penalties under the Public Official Election Act."

Previously, ahead of the presidential election on May 28 of last year, Lee was accused of posting a card news image on her Facebook page containing false information, claiming that the President's elder son was exempted from military service due to online gambling and mental illness, and the younger son due to a herniated disc, along with the caption "The whole family is male-disabled."

In reality, both of President Lee's sons completed their service as sergeants in the Air Force, and the post was deleted approximately 10 minutes after it was uploaded. Lee later explained, "I shared information that was circulating online for about 10 seconds, and as soon as I found out it was incorrect, I immediately deleted it. Please forgive me," she wrote.

Lee’s legal representatives argued, "The post remained online for about nine minutes, and it was deleted voluntarily before any intervention by the National Election Commission, investigative authorities, or other state agencies. Additionally, through the apology statement made by the defendant, in which she admitted to deleting it immediately after confirming the information was incorrect, the misinformation circulating in society was actually corrected."

In her final statement, Lee said, "At the time I shared the post on Facebook, I believed the military-related content it contained was true, but I failed to observe the details closely. Having spent 30 years judging the credibility of others' statements as a professional, it is truly embarrassing and regrettable that I failed to doubt a single piece of information in my own hands. I sincerely apologize to the candidate and their family, who may have been hurt by the post."

Regarding this, the prosecution requested that the court dismiss the defendant's appeal. If the appeal is dismissed, the 3 million won fine imposed in the first trial will be upheld. The court is scheduled to announce its decision on November 12, 2026.

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