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South Korean prosecutors raid governor's home, office in defamation case

By Wooyoung Lee
Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung speaks to reporters after arriving at a regional bureau of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Nov. 24, 2018. Photo by Yonhap
Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung speaks to reporters after arriving at a regional bureau of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Nov. 24, 2018. Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday raided the home and office of Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung in an investigation involving his wife.

Prosecutors searched for cellphones used by Lee's wife Kim Hye-kyung since 2013 that would serve as key evidence to the probe, Yonhap News reported.

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Kim has been accused of spreading false information, and defamation and slander against political rivals of her husband on Twitter and other social media. Lee, the former mayor of Seongnam City, is a key political figure in liberal political circles in South Korea.

South Korean police found Kim to be the owner of the Twitter account "For the Justice" that has been active since 2013. The police handed over the case to the prosecution last week with a recommendation to indict her for slander and libel.

Some defamatory comments have been made against former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and victims of the Sewol ferry sinking incident in Tweets.

The Twitter account became known when Lee's fellow lawmaker Jeon Hae-cheol of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who also announced a run for a Gyeonggi governor race, reported them to the national election committee for libel and slander, including some against him.

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Jeon withdrew his complaint last month, but some 3,000 citizens and a lawyer made another official complaint to the police for an investigation.

Lee said he will cooperate with prosecutors' investigation.

"This is part of routine investigation activities by prosecutors," he said to reporter Tuesday. "I hope this reveals the truth behind this case so that my wife can be free from the allegations."

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