President Lee Jae-myung criticized the court handling the case of Kim Yong, former deputy head of the Democratic Research Institute, for rejecting explanations based on the 'Google Timeline,' calling the conclusion 'bizarre.' Kim, a close aide to Lee during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province, recently announced his candidacy for a top committee position in the Democratic Party's upcoming convention on August 17.
On July 15, President Lee shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Geon-tae, which stated, 'The prosecutors' double standards regarding the Google Timeline must be revealed through a special investigation.' Lee emphasized that 'evidence of guilt must meet a much stricter standard of admissibility and credibility than evidence of innocence.'
He added, 'The proof of a crime must be beyond a reasonable doubt, and when there is doubt, it should be resolved in favor of the defendant,' stressing that 'even if ten criminals are let go, not a single innocent person should be punished.' He described this principle as one of the most fundamental and important lessons learned in criminal procedure law.
Specifically addressing the court in Kim's case, President Lee remarked, 'It reached the bizarre conclusion that the Google Timeline, which has been used as evidence of guilt in court, cannot serve as evidence of innocence in this particular case.' He stated, 'It is truly difficult to understand how one can prosecute and convict someone despite the Google Timeline proving their alibi.'
In the post shared by President Lee, lawmaker Lee referenced a court ruling that recognized the Google Timeline as important evidence, criticizing the prosecutors' judgment as 'double standards.'
Previously, Kim was indicted on charges of receiving money from private developers involved in the Daejang-dong project and was sentenced to prison in both the first and second trials. In the second trial, he presented the Google Timeline as evidence, claiming he had an alibi during the alleged illegal political funding period, but this was not accepted.
Meanwhile, President Lee also shared a report on X regarding the status of illegal loan sharking organizations and measures to enhance arrests, stating, 'Illegal loan sharking will be thoroughly cracked down on and severely punished,' and urged citizens to report any incidents.
The report shared by the president indicated that from November of last year to June, authorities had cracked down on illegal financial crimes, resulting in 1,825 cases, with 2,060 individuals apprehended and 76 detained.
President Lee noted, 'If interest exceeds 20% per year, the interest is void, meaning it does not have to be paid, and any agreement for loans exceeding 60% interest is entirely void, so the principal does not have to be returned.' He criticized coercive debt collection as a crime.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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