President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 14.YONHAP
Police dismissed a complaint accusing President Lee Jae Myung of ordering underwear company Ssangbangwool Group to transfer money to North Korea, citing a lack of evidence.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency dismissed the complaint on June 25, according to police on Tuesday.The complaint accused Lee of three offenses under South Korea’s Criminal Act: benefiting the enemy by other methods, abuse of authority and defamation.
A dismissal closes a case on procedural or jurisdictional grounds because ofissues with the procedures or requirements governing a complaint or report.
Lee was reported to police over allegations that he directed Ssangbangwool Group to secretly transfer $8 million to North Korea on his behalf while he was Gyeonggi governor, so that Gyeonggi officials could visit Pyongyang.
“There is no evidence to support the accusation that $8 million was provided to North Korea at President Lee’s direction,” police wrote in their investigation report. Police therefore dismissed the abuse-of-authority allegation.
Regarding the charge of benefiting the enemy, investigators found insufficient evidence as well, pointing to indications that the funds were intended for the humanitarian purpose of advancing an inter-Korean cooperation project, with part of the money characterized as expenses tied to a specific individual’s planned visit to North Korea.
On the defamation allegation, the police also concluded that there was a lack of evidence because "under the case law,the state or a local government cannot be considered a victim of defamation."
Former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Seong-taeJOONGANG ILBO
Investigators also considered the context in which Lee made the disputed remarks.
“President Lee’s remarks are better understood as an exercise of his right to defend himself in his own case,” police concluded.
The civic group Committee for the Measures on Livelihood of Ordinary People filed the original complaint against Lee last August on the same three charges.
“President Lee instructed then-Gyeonggi Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young to arrange for Kim Seong-tae, then chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, to cover $5 million for a smart farm project in Hwanghae Province and $3 million for protocol expenses related to a visit to North Korea,” the group alleged in its complaint.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
