Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon criticized President Lee Jae-myung after Lee apologized for the appellate acquittal of former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Noh Ung-rae on charges of taking illegal political funds, saying, "No one knows better than President Lee that former lawmaker Noh took money."
Han, who served as Minister of Justice at the time of Noh's indictment and explained the need to process the arrest motion, shared on his Facebook on the 23rd a clip of President Lee, then the Democratic Party of Korea leader, saying, "He himself acknowledges certain facts, and that alone may be a problem," and stated accordingly.
Han said, "That 'certain fact' is none other than that former lawmaker Noh admitted he had received money from a broker's wife," adding, "Bringing up 'I'm sorry, I love you,' like a 22-year-old drama now is nothing but a buildup to cancel the indictment."
After Noh's acquittal on the 21st, President Lee wrote on his X (formerly Twitter), "How could anyone other than the person concerned even guess how wronged Senior Noh must have felt, having been indicted by political prosecutors and even stripped of his political life by the party," adding, "I'm sorry, I respect you, I love you."
Han then said, "If you truly think lawmaker Noh Ung-rae was wronged, there is also a recording of Noh Ung-rae telling the broker, 'I'm still using what you gave me last time—why are you giving more?,' so President Lee should come to the National Assembly and listen to it together."
Han added, "The ending of the drama 'I'm Sorry, I Love You' was a tragedy," saying, "The melodrama of canceling the indictment—and the end of this drama—will be the same."
Meanwhile, when the Democratic Party asked Han to apologize for having argued, while serving as Minister of Justice, for the need to process the arrest motion in connection with Noh's acquittal, he countered, "The acquittal came only for the formal reason that the investigating prosecutor did not additionally obtain a warrant, making it illegally collected evidence; the substance of the cash envelopes does not disappear."