Overview
- Lee Rae-jin delivered a letter for U.S. President Donald Trump to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, saying the case cannot be resolved through South Korea’s legal system.
- On Dec. 26, the Seoul Central District Court acquitted five former security officials, citing insufficient evidence of a deliberate cover-up despite faults in how a defection conclusion was reached and announced.
- The National Intelligence Service withdrew its complaints against key defendants, and the prime minister publicly said it would be natural for prosecutors to forgo an appeal as the president also criticized the indictments.
- Prosecutors have not said whether they will appeal as a Friday filing deadline approaches, and legal circles view recent steps as groundwork for dropping the case.
- The bereaved family alleges authorities knew the victim’s fate in real time yet failed to act, while over 5,000 documents were deleted and key materials were sealed as presidential records, limiting access to evidence.