Lee Jae-myung, Attention on Resolving Legal Risks Ahead of the Presidential Election
With the confirmation of a snap presidential election on June 3 due to the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-youl, interest is focused on whether Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, can resolve his legal risks.
Currently, Representative Lee is facing five trials related to a total of eight cases, some of which overlap with the election schedule, making normal court proceedings difficult.
One of the major cases Lee is facing is an appeal regarding allegations of violating election laws. This case is currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court, and it is pending a final decision due to an appeal by the prosecution.
However, the court proceedings are inevitably delayed because Representative Lee has not received the notice of case record submission. The defendant is required to submit a statement of grounds for appeal within 20 days of receiving the notice, but since it has not been received, it is expected to take over a month for procedural matters under the Criminal Procedure Act.
The hearing date for the appeal regarding the charge of conspiracy to commit perjury is also expected to change due to a conflict with the date of the snap election. Representative Lee is expected to resign from his position soon and announce his candidacy for the presidential election, and there is a significant possibility that trial schedules will be disrupted due to a short period of election campaigning.
The cases related to Daejang-dong, Wirye, Baekhyeon-dong, and Seongnam FC are anticipated to undergo lengthy hearings, while the investigation into the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case and the misuse of corporate credit cards are approaching their respective resumption and first preparation hearings.
In particular, the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, which had been on hold for four months due to a request for the recusal of judges, is scheduled to resume on the 23rd.
Recently, Representative Lee was summoned five times to testify in the ongoing Daejang-dong main trial at the Seoul Central District Court but did not attend any of the hearings, citing his duties as party leader and legislative activities, which sparked controversy.
As a result, the trial court imposed a total of 8 million won in fines on two occasions and considered enforcing measures such as summons, but ultimately abandoned the summons due to their lack of effectiveness.
The Supreme Court recently sent a request to deliver Lee’s election law appeal case record submission notice to his office in the National Assembly and his residence in Incheon’s Gyeyang-gu via a designated individual. This seems to be a measure to address situations where notices are not received by postal delivery.
Ultimately, whether Lee Jae-myung can resolve his legal risks is highly likely to be directly linked to his future political moves. Particularly, there is great interest in how his legal issues will be resolved in this upcoming snap election.
Image Source: News1, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, attends a hearing for an appeal regarding allegations of violating the Public Official Election Act at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on March 26, 2025. /News1 (Photo Joint Coverage Team)
