Suits filed against ex-Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Shin-bum by Chief Presidential Secretary Park Jie-won and others, were dropped Sunday after President Kim Dae-jung's third son, Kim Hong-gul surrendered himself to the prosecution early last week. Lee had been indicted without detention for alleged libel in insisting that the so-called "Lee Hyeong-ja List," at the time of the clothing scandal, included the First Lady Lee Hee-ho and wives of people in power with the current government.
The wives of Park Jie-won, former National Intelligence Service (NIS) head Cheon Yong-taek, former Chief Presidential Secretary Kim Jun-kwon filed a letter withdrawing their complaints against Lee through a representative, according to a Seoul District Court official.
The withdrawal is reportedly as a result of the agreement made by President Kim's third son Hong-gul and the former GNP member Lee, who decided May 10 to drop all lawsuits he had filed in and out of the country. The three couples had been suing Lee, saying he disclosed false facts that the three wives took high-end gifts from Lee Hyeong-ja.
Lee had been indicted without detention by Seoul District Court in last May, but did not appear in eight public hearings as he was in the US for study purposes.
(Park Se-yong, se@chosun.com)
