Lee Jae-myung, the president, on the 21st congratulated former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Noh Ung-rae, who was indicted on charges of taking bribes and illegal political funds and was acquitted again on appeal, saying, "I offer congratulations to Senior Noh, who has been proven innocent and freed from the danger of prison, and I also offer a belated apology."
On X that day, the president wrote, "How aggrieved Senior Noh must have been, having been indicted by political prosecutors and stripped of his political life by the party. How could anyone but the person involved even guess at it?"
Regarding the former lawmaker, the president wrote, "He is a senior from my university whom I personally respect and one of the few political aides," adding, "For the Democratic Party, he was the candidate with the highest chance of winning in Seoul's Mapo A district." Former lawmaker Noh entered Chung-Ang University in 1978, and the president in 1982. Noh served as a lawmaker for the 17th and the 19th, 20th, and 21st National Assemblies in the Seoul Mapo A constituency.
The president said, "After the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, backed by political prosecutors, took power, the 2024 general election was a grave election on which the fate of the nation and the people hinged," adding, "As the person leading the Democratic Party, I had no choice but to exclude the former lawmaker Noh from nomination, with tears in my eyes."
He continued, "In the Mapo A race, we had no choice but to field a newcomer," and wrote, "Senior Noh even went so far as to campaign to help in the very election where his political life was taken away, but we ultimately lost."
The president said, "As party leader, to win the overall election, I had no choice but to go along with the abuses of the political prosecutors and make a painful sacrifice," adding, "I will make sure to build a country where innocent people are never again sacrificed by the abuse of state power." He added, "Senior Noh Ung-rae, I am sorry. I respect you. I love you."
In the 2024 general election, the Democratic Party strategically nominated Lee Ji-eun, a former senior superintendent brought in as outside talent, in Seoul's Mapo A. Lee lost to People Power Party lawmaker Cho Jong-hoon by a 0.6 percentage-point margin at the time. Lee now serves as the Democratic Party's Mapo A district party chair and is classified within the pro-Cheo Seung-rae faction.
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeals Division 5-2 (Presiding Judges Kim Yong-jung, Kim Ji-seon, and So Byung-jin) on the day acquitted former lawmaker Noh, who had been indicted on charges of receiving tens of millions of won in bribes and illegal political funds from a businessman, as in the first trial.
As in the first trial, the court found that the lead in the case, obtained during the search and seizure of the mobile phone of the spouse of a businessman surnamed Park, a person surnamed Cho, was illegally collected evidence and therefore inadmissible.