"Kim Eui-gyeom's Accusation, a Facet of the Prosecutorial Republic"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Seung-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and head of the opposition's legal committee, predicted that even if the indictment of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, takes place, the first trial verdict will not be issued before the general election.
On the 30th, Kim said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "Considering the volume of the investigation and the need to hear all related testimonies in court, it might take about 2 to 3 years," adding, "I expect that the first trial verdict will not come out before the general election."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is under suspicion of breach of trust related to preferential treatment allegations in the Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town development projects, is greeting supporters on the 28th before appearing at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office as a suspect. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
He said, "'The Ulsan secret investigation' trial was indicted in February 2019, and it is expected that the verdict will be delivered around March or April this year," adding, "If the Daejang-dong case and other cases confirm the story dating back to the Busan Savings Bank case in court, since these are cases over 10 years old, I think it will take about 3 years or close to 3 years."
The opposition suspects that the prosecution is trying to link this investigation to the general election. However, if the first trial verdict does not come out before the election, its impact on the election will inevitably be limited. Regarding this, Kim said, "During the trial, the prosecution will gradually present one-sided testimonies or materials that the public has not heard before," adding, "They will use this to undermine the credibility of Representative Lee, continuing this effort for 1 or 2 years, or even throughout the 5 years of the Yoon Seok-youl administration, using it as material to attack the Democratic Party and the opposition."
He continued, "What we advocate is that in open court, all evidence should be disclosed, and the claims of the public or the opposition should be heard so that the public can make a judgment. We need to quickly establish an evidence disclosure system, which is originally the prosecution's duty." The evidence disclosure system is a system where both parties disclose information before the trial begins to resolve information asymmetry.
The Democratic Party expects the prosecution to request an arrest warrant. Kim said, "Legally, it seems difficult to request one, but since the prosecution is conducting a political investigation, we expect that they are likely to request it," adding, "to reinforce the image of a 'shielding parliament' or to impose the image of evading investigation, they will request an arrest warrant even if it is excessive."
Regarding the presidential office's announcement to file a complaint against Democratic Party member Kim Ui-gyeom for raising suspicions of stock manipulation related to Deutsche Motors, Kim said, "I think it is a public opinion battle," adding, "Member Kim made a briefing, and filing a complaint about that is, in a way, a facet of the prosecution republic."
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