Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who was indicted on charges of perjury for claiming that 'a salmon sashimi drinking party was provided by the prosecution' during the investigation into the inter-Korean currency remittance case, has been sentenced to four months in prison. This court ruling comes two years and two months after Lee, in April 2024, raised suspicions that he was provided with external food and soju at the prosecutor's office during the investigation into inter-Korean currency remittance and that Prosecutor Park Sang-yong had pressured him for a statement. [Photo=Yonhap News]

Truth finding its rightful place. In a society governed by common sense, this statement should be as natural as water flowing downhill. The fact that it has become a cause for celebration is truly disheartening. While one might question if this is truly something to celebrate, I first offer words of appreciation and thanks to Prosecutor Park Sang-yong for his hard work.

For the past 2 years and 3 months, one public official has endured the lynching of a large political group that monopolized state power. Lee Hwa-young ignited the fabricated illusion of a 'salmon drinking party in the prosecutor's office.' The progressive camp, wielding this crude lie that would be rejected even by a third-rate Netflix crime drama script, became frenzied as if they had discovered a holy war for salvation.

The reason they clung so desperately to such a low and shallow prop is clear. They needed a firewall to protect the ultimate destination of the massive state crime, the inter-Korean currency remittance by Ssangbangul – none other than Lee Jae-myung. As the reality of the crime approached, they attempted to collapse the entire investigation by portraying the investigating prosecutor as a corrupt deceiver.

They treated Lee Hwa-young's rambling, where memories evaporated at will and the dates and locations of drinking sessions changed according to his whims, as their sole bible. The ruling party pushed for impeachment and held what they called a National Assembly hearing, a people's trial, to humiliate public authority. This desperate attempt to conceal their wrongdoings by playing the role of persecuted martyrs was a fascist violence that discarded the rule of law as fuel for personal defense.

The most satisfying twist in this comedy is that the entity that severed the thread of lies was none other than the jury in a 'Citizen Participation Trial,' composed of ordinary citizens. The progressive camp, at every turn, justified their blind incitement by claiming to represent the 'people's perspective' and 'citizens' common sense.' 

However, when citizens applied the magnifying glass of evidence in court, the flimsy novel about being offered soju in a paper cup and having their statements coerced was utterly torn apart. With clear reason, the citizens declared this staged farce as clear 'perjury,' and the court sentenced Lee Hwa-young to imprisonment.

We express deep solidarity with Prosecutor Park's solitary struggle, who, amidst the ridicule and threats of job suspension, never compromised and quietly dismantled the fortress of lies with the power of facts, when a large group in power attempted to trample on one utterly sensible prosecutor.

This is not merely about restoring the honor of one prosecutor. It is a historic triumph that proves that the state's common sense toward truth will never be suffocated, no matter how much a massive incitement and madness rages.

Now, we inform Lee Jae-myung and his loyal guards of the chilling reality they must face. The grotesque 'salmon shield' they furiously wove has ultimately been shattered by the reason of the citizens. They may have attempted to mock the rule of law and steal the judiciary's time while hiding behind the illusion of a third-rate novel's drinking spree, but your petty schemes have utterly failed.

Remember this. The invoices of history may be delayed in delivery, but they never incur 'delivery errors' with the wrong recipient. Your pathetic lack of capability, unable to break even a single sharp needle of truth despite holding power, has finally been exposed.

The grace period stolen through manipulation and incitement has ended. In the midst of a hunting ground where the net of the rule of law tightens mercilessly with every step you try to flee, we ask:

Do you truly believe the clock of justice will stop solely before Lee Jae-myung?

◆ Park Ju-hyun, Writer

Composer, music director, columnist, and essayist. She actively expresses her opinions on political, current affairs, and social issues on Facebook, gaining widespread empathy. She published the essay collection 'Crossing the Stormy Sea.'