Park Ji-won, "I expect the Supreme Court to uphold the lower court's not guilty verdict for Representative Lee Jae-myung"

As the Supreme Court swiftly processes the appeal of Lee Jae-myung, the former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ji-won is drawing attention with his prediction of a "not guilty" verdict.

On the 24th, during an appearance on KBC's "Yeouido Invitation," Park stated, "There are suspicions that there may be some manipulation behind the Chief Justice's unusual decision to refer former Representative Lee's case to the full court for expedited processing. However, based on information I received about three weeks ago from a reliable source, I believe the lower court's ruling will be upheld (not guilty). That’s what I understand."

When the host mentioned public concerns regarding the fact that Chief Justice Yoo Hee-tae was appointed by former President Yoon Suk-yeol and that Justice Park Young-jae was also nominated by Chief Justice Yoo, Park remarked, "Given that Justice Park Young-jae served as the Deputy Chief of the Court Administration under Chief Justice Kim Myong-soo, I have some understanding of this, but judges are different."

He further illustrated his point with the example of Constitutional Court Justice Jeong Hyeong-sik, who presided over former President Yoon’s impeachment trial, stating, "He also came from a conservative background and was appointed as a constitutional judge based on conservative recommendations. However, how precise, clear, and well-articulated was the ruling he wrote regarding the impeachment?"

Park added, "Even when the prediction was made that there would be a 5-3 dismissal before the decision on former President Yoon's impeachment, I had the information to declare that it would be an 8-0 decision. If the justices writing the dismissal ruling were to become a second Lee Wan-yong, how would their descendants live in South Korea? I asserted it would absolutely be 8-0, and indeed it came out as 8-0."

He continued, "For this reason, irrespective of who appointed the justices, they will adjudicate according to the law and their conscience, and according to the information I have gathered, I firmly believe that the lower court's not guilty ruling will be upheld in any case."

Earlier, on the 22nd, the Supreme Court referred the appeal of former Representative Lee Jae-myung regarding his violation of the Public Official Election Act to the full court for deliberation. This procedure is taken for cases with important legal issues or significant public interest, and the Supreme Court is reported to conduct a swift hearing considering the importance of this case.

Former Representative Lee was acquitted in a second trial last month, overturning the first trial's ruling. As the leading candidate in the upcoming presidential election on June 3, all eyes are on the Supreme Court's final judgment, capturing the interest of both the political world and the entire nation.

Image source: Former Representative Lee Jae-myung / News1, News1