| Lee Su-jin | |||||||||||
| Native Name Lang: | ko | ||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 3 November 1969 | ||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Jeonju, North Jeolla, South Korea | ||||||||||
| Constituency1: | Seoul Dongjak B | ||||||||||
| Office1: | Member of the National Assembly | ||||||||||
| Term Start1: | 30 May 2020 | ||||||||||
| Term End1: | 29 May 2024 | ||||||||||
| Predecessor1: | Na Kyung-won | ||||||||||
| Successor1: | Na Kyung-won | ||||||||||
| Party: | Democratic | ||||||||||
| Alma Mater: | Seoul National University | ||||||||||
| Occupation: | Judge, politician | ||||||||||
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Lee Su-jin (born 3 November 1969) is a South Korean judge and politician.
Lee was born in Jeonju, North Jeolla in 1969.[1] Her birthplace was usually rumoured as Nonsan,[2] [3] despite her denial.[4] She grew up with a poor family, where she used to share a single room with 4 siblings.[5] She lost her father when she was 11 years old.[5] One day, her mother, who earned a living as a socks seller, slipped on an ice and underwent a hip osteonecrosis.[5] Lee, who often cried for this, described her mum's problem on her diary.[5] This story was reported by her primary school teachers to North Jeolla Daily.[5] She later attended Jeonju Sungsim Girls' High School and earned a bachelor's degree in economics at Seoul National University[1] [4] in 1996.[2]
After qualifying for the bar in 1998, Lee graduated from the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 2002.[2] [4] She began her career at Incheon District Court, then at Seoul High Court, Seoul Central District Court and Seoul Southern District Court.[2] In 2011, she co-founded the Institute of International Human Rights Law.[3]
She drew a public attention when she was in charge of the Cho Doo-soon Case in 2008.[5] The 8-year-old victim was seriously injured and therefore had to wear a stoma bag.[5] The prosecution was harshly criticised because of forcing the victim to summon and repeat her testimony.[5] Her parents finally filed a lawsuit against the prosecution and Lee, as the judge in charge, ordered the prosecution to pay the victim 13 million won (≒ 13,000 US$) in damages.[5]
On 27 January 2020, Lee was brought to the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).[2] [3] From the interview, she expressed her advocation to jucial reform, as well as proposing bills to enrich people's livelihoods.[2]
Prior to the 2020 election, Lee was a potential candidate for Dongjak 2nd constituency, where the incumbent MP is Na Kyung-won of the United Future Party (UFP).[2] However, some other sources reported that perhaps the ruling party would put the ex-judge to Uiwang-Gwacheon constituency,[4] where held by Shin Chang-hyun who lost at preselection.[6] On 4 March, the Democratic Party has confirmed to nominate Lee as the official candidate for Dongjak 2nd, formally giving her way to contest with the UFP MP.[1] Do Jong-hwan, who led the nomination, praised her as "a judge who really understand the minorities hardworking for fair judgements".[1]
On 15 April, Lee successfully defeated the incumbent MP with a narrow margin.[7]
On 2 January 2020, shortly before quitting as a judge, Lee showed her intention to run for the upcoming general election should there is any chance while interviewing with JoongAng Ilbo.[8] Her remark was criticised for breaching political neutrality and politicising the judiciary.[9] It was reported she had submitted a resignation letter to the Supreme Court on 31 December 2019.[9] Some of her colleagues also mentioned they were shocked when she made such decision.[10]
On 27 January 2020, Lee disclosed that she was blacklisted by the former Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae.[2] However, some sources reported her name was not on the list.[11] [12] [4] Though she revealed she was demoted due to conflicts with the former Chief Justice, some other colleagues disclosed that she was incompetent and therefore not suitable to say "demoted".[13]
Chin Jung-kwon, a notable left-wing commentator, denounced her by saying, "Such a nut. I don't understand why the hell the DPK brought these kind of nuts."[14] [4] Yang Hong-seok, a lawyer from People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, urged, "Please tell people how you were victimised by him. You're not explaining properly. This is same as you're treating people like a dog. I don't think you're actually victimised."[15]
On 8 April, Lee was sued by her competitor, Na Kyung-won, for the publication of false information.[16] Lee reacted, "Aren't you busy? Only people know the truth."[16]