While Lee, the assailant of the Busan roundhouse kick case currently detained at Busan Prison, is denying the allegations of making threatening remarks of retaliation against the victim, testimony emerged suggesting that Lee had planned specific escape methods.
The Busan District Court Western Branch Criminal Division 1 opened a trial against Lee, who was charged with violations of the Act on Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (Retaliation Threats), insult, and coercion.
The trial was conducted with fellow inmates who shared the cell with Lee in prison, including the witnesses (a YouTuber and an inmate) who actively publicized Lee’s crimes.
The YouTuber said, “He asked me about the route and the location of nearby objects such as barricades when I returned after visiting an outside hospital for treatment. He requested to get a motorcycle ready at the hospital entrance.” He also stated, “Lee even said that he will find the victim’s residence and kill her after escaping through the hospital and that he will make the victim speechless with high kicks and low kicks.”
He further claimed, “He had documents with the victim’s personal information such as the address and hometown, and he copied this information into a notebook and mentioned it frequently. He even said that he would hire a courier center to find out the address if the victim moved.” He also stated, “In this notebook, not only the victim but also the judge and prosecutor who conducted his trial, and his ex-girlfriend were listed as targets for retaliation.”
He added, “He felt wrong that he was sentenced to imprisonment due to the victim’s media play. He asked me to advocate for him through YouTube as he was hunted by the victim’s media play.”
When asked by the prosecutor why he decided to publicize the issue, the YouTuber said, “I decided to publicize it despite my family’s concerns since I believed that the victim could be protected if it became known through broadcasting. I have two sisters, and I was angry to think about the assailant preparing for retaliation if something like this happened to them. I wanted Lee to receive a proper punishment.”
In response to Lee’s claim that he is lying to increase his YouTube subscribers, he said, “I briefly mentioned it in a live video, but I testified in earnest on broadcast and different YouTube channels. Also, it is not true that my subscribers increased due to my testimony against Lee.”
The inmate who shared the cell with them, also claimed, “Lee constantly made remarks on retaliation against the roundhouse kick victim day and night.”
The inmate also mentioned, “I saw and heard Lee tearing up paper and throwing it in the toilet tank early in the morning before he moved rooms. I suspect it was the notebook with the personal information of the victim.”
The victim of the roundhouse kick incident who attended the court that day said, “I am not the only victim of this case. He said he would kill his ex-girlfriend, who helped him escape, mainly because she didn’t visit him. He even wrote down the names of the prosecutor and judge as people he wanted to kill. This retaliation is not against me but against the law-abiding citizens.”
Lee is accused of making threatening remarks about retaliation against the victim while detained in prison during the trial of the roundhouse kick case last year in February. He is also accused of sending threatening letters to his ex-girlfriend.