On August 23, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon slammed South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s recent public apology to former Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Woong-rae as a deliberate “build-up to cancel an indictment.” Han asserted that President Lee is acutely aware of Noh’s involvement in accepting illegal political funds, framing the presidential remorse as a tactical maneuver.
The Background of the Cutoff and the “Specific Fact”
The political friction centers on a ruling regarding Noh Woong-rae’s illegal political funds case, which resulted in an acquittal. Following the legal outcome, President Lee addressed the public via X (formerly Twitter) on August 21. Lee stated that as party leader he had to practice eob-cham-ma-sok—sacrificing a subordinate for the greater good—by riding the waves of what he termed political prosecution abuses, while offering late apologies to Noh for the ordeal.
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon immediately pushed back against this narrative on Facebook. Han recalled that when Noh was cut off from running in the general election two years prior by the Democratic Party, Lee was serving as the party leader. According to Han, Lee publicly justified that cutoff at the time by stating that a specific fact was admitted to by Noh himself, rendering it problematic on its face.
That specific fact, Han argued, directly pointed to Noh receiving money from a broker’s wife. “The person who knows best that Noh received money is President Lee,” Han wrote, emphasizing that the current expressions of sympathy contradict the party’s earlier internal rationale for sidelining Noh.
The 2022 Arrest Motion and Audio Evidence Debate
The public clash also dredges up memories of legislative showdowns from 2022. During his tenure as Minister of Justice, Han addressed the National Assembly regarding the arrest motion for Noh Woong-rae. At that time, Han detailed that auditory evidence existed, stating “voice and money envelope rustling sounds are recorded.”
Despite those detailed evidentiary briefings, the National Assembly ultimately voted down the arrest motion. The tally recorded 101 votes in favor, 161 against, and 9 abstentions.
Han labeled it an attempt to build up momentum to invalidate ongoing or future legal indictments connected to Lee’s own trials.
Challenging the Narrative in the National Assembly
Han did not stop at criticizing the political framing of the apology. He issued a direct challenge regarding the underlying veracity of Noh’s innocence.
If President Lee genuinely believes that Noh Woong-rae was an innocent victim of prosecutorial overreach rather than a beneficiary of political expediency, Han proposed a concrete test. He pointed out that the investigative record includes an audio recording of Noh speaking to a broker, where Noh allegedly remarks, “What you gave me last time, I am using it well, why are you giving me more?”
Concluding his social media address on August 23, Han invited the president to back up his rhetoric. “If it’s not a build-up to cancel an indictment, and you truly think Noh was wronged,” Han challenged, “there is a recording… let’s go to the National Assembly together and listen to it.”
