Former Minister Lee Jong-sub Seems Influenced by ‘Witness Oath’
“Don’t Say Rep. Jung Cheong-rae Refused Testimony for ‘Perjury'”,
Lim Sung-geun, former commander of the Marine 1st Division, explains the reason for refusing to take an oath at the third hearing of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the issue of the petition for the immediate submission of the motion to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol. 2024.07.19. [Photo=Newsis],
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, ‘Lim Sung-geun, a former commander of the Marine 1st Division who was implicated in the ‘Chae Sang-byeong’s Sacrificial Incident’ coercion suspicion, eventually took a ‘witness oath’ under pressure from the opposition party on the 19th.’,
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, ‘Rep. Jung Cheong-rae, the chairman of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, announced that “Lim, who had refused to take the oath in the morning, expressed his willingness to take the oath” during the ‘Hearings on the Petition for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Impeachment” held in the afternoon.’,
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, ‘Chairman Jung, unlike former Minister Lee Jong-sub who took the oath during the morning hearing, warned Lim that if he refused to take the oath, “he could receive legal protection if he does not intend to commit perjury.”‘,
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, ‘He further stated, “If it is not false testimony, there is legal protection and safeguards for not suffering any disadvantages based on the statements made during the hearing.” He advised Lim to carefully consider taking the oath during the lunch break.’,
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, ‘Ultimately, Lim took the oath at the resumed impeachment inquiry on the afternoon of that day, pledging, “I swear to tell the truth according to my conscience without hiding or distorting, and if there is falsehood in my statement, I will accept the penalty for perjury.”‘,
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, ‘It seems that the decision of former Minister Lee played a role in changing Lim’s mind.’,
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, “Former Minister Lee, like Lim, initially refused to take an oath during the ‘Chae Sang-byeong Special Counsel Law’ legislative inquiry. However, despite opposition party pressure, he agreed to the witness oath during the impeachment inquiry on that day, fearing being misunderstood as intending to testify falsely.”,
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, ‘When asked by Chairman Jung “Why did you take the oath today, having refused it last time,” former Minister Lee replied, “I didn’t take the oath in accordance with the rights guaranteed by law, but later I was misunderstood as having the intention to testify falsely.”‘,
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, ‘He further emphasized, “I had an experience where I could not fully explain my position due to not being given the right to testify during the legislative inquiry process,” and said, “This time, I took the oath to confidently testify without being misunderstood.”‘,
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, ‘In response, Chairman Jung remarked, “Well done,” saying, “I felt that you had a change of heart today.”‘,
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, ‘However, Yu Sang-beom, the floor leader of the ruling party, the People Power Party, pointed out, “The right to refuse testimony is a constitutional right,” and said, “Exercising this right is not about whether or not to lie in the testimony.”‘,
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, ‘He further stated, “Exercising a legitimate right to avoid self-incrimination does not mean refusing to testify is for the purpose of perjury,” adding, “Repeating that refusing to testify is for perjury seems inappropriate.”‘,
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