Lee Jae-myung acquitted of witness tampering in first trial

[Anchor]

Hello.

This is KBS 9 o'clock news.

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, has been acquitted this time.

He expressed his gratitude to the court.

Today (11.25), we will analyze the first trial results of the charges against him for instigating perjury in detail.

First, reporter Lee Ho-jun will deliver the details of the verdict.

[Report]

Lee Jae-myung, who was indicted on charges of 'instigating perjury' last October, was acquitted in the first trial.

He was charged with publicizing false facts by stating during a debate for the Gyeonggi-do governor candidate in 2018 that he was falsely accused in the past 'prosecutor impersonation' incident, and he was accused of requesting former Seongnam City Mayor Kim Byung-ryang's secretary Kim Jin-sung to provide false testimony in this trial.

[Call between Lee Jae-myung and Kim Jin-sung/Dec. 24, 2018: "What I would like you to help with is that KBS and (Mayor Kim Byung-ryang) have discussed this issue a lot, and if possible, (that there was collusion?), if you could say there was some 'collusion,' that would be the best."]

The first trial court stated, "Lee's request for testimony is not different from a typical request, and it is difficult to see that mentioning the testimony he needed constitutes a demand for perjury."

It also stated that providing a defense brief to Kim was not contrary to common sense or significantly deviated from the right to defense.

In particular, the court judged that there was no 'intent' regarding the part where Kim perjured himself at Lee's request, thus ruling him not guilty.

[Lee Jae-myung/Democratic Party Leader: "I thank the court for restoring truth and justice. Now, let's pursue politics that saves, not kills."]

However, the court found Kim Jin-sung, who admitted to perjury, guilty and sentenced him to a fine of 5 million won.

This is KBS News, Lee Ho-jun.