'Cheopcheopsanjung' Lee to Appear in Court as Defendant for 'False Statements' on March 3

'Late Kim Moon-gi and Baek Hyun-dong False Statement' Case
First Trial Begins on March 3

The arrest warrant motion for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has been indicted on allegations of preferential treatment in the Daejang-dong development and suspicious donations to Seongnam FC, was narrowly rejected in the plenary session of the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 27th. However, Lee's judicial risks are expected to intensify from now on.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is observing the vote counting process of the arrest warrant against him at the 8th plenary session of the 403rd National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 27th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The prosecution may take various aggressive measures, such as trying Lee without detention or filing additional arrest warrants for other cases including the 'Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance' allegations and the Baekhyeon-dong development corruption suspicions.

The first trial for the case in which he was indicted on September 8 last year for making false statements during the presidential election process will begin on the 3rd of next month. The charge involves Lee allegedly making false statements during his presidential candidacy last year, claiming he did not know the late Kim Moon-gi, former head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, while serving as mayor of Seongnam. This will be the first time Lee appears in court as a defendant in about two years and four months since he was acquitted of charges related to violations of the Public Official Election Act in October 2020.

◆ Lee appears in court as defendant... Biweekly trials in March

According to the court on the 28th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 34 (Presiding Judge Kang Gyu-tae) will hold Lee's first trial for the Public Official Election Act violation charge at 10:40 a.m. on March 3. Unlike the four preparatory hearings held since October 18 last year, attendance is mandatory for defendants during trial dates, so Lee must appear in court in person on the day. Trials will be held biweekly on March 3, 17, and 31.

Earlier, Lee was indicted for making false statements about Kim, the former head involved in the Daejang-dong development project, during a broadcast interview on December 22, 2021, when he was the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, claiming "He was a subordinate employee, so I did not know him while serving as mayor." Kim was found dead in the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation office the day before Lee's statement. He was a key figure in the Daejang-dong development scandal and was under investigation by the prosecution.

Whether Lee knew Kim is considered a crucial clue to identifying the so-called 'upper echelon' in the Daejang-dong case. The prosecution believes Lee received multiple face-to-face reports from Kim on major issues of the corporation, including the Daejang-dong development project, while in the mayor's office.

Lee was also indicted for making false statements regarding the 'Baekhyeon-dong preferential treatment allegations.' During the Gyeonggi Province audit by the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on October 20, 2021, he allegedly falsely stated, "The Ministry of Land requested the land-use change, and we had no choice but to comply under the Special Act on the Relocation of Public Institutions," and "Since Seongnam City could not accept the land-use change to gain billions in profit, the city secured some profit and planned to attract office facilities, but the Ministry threatened to accuse us of dereliction of duty." However, the prosecution's view is that Seongnam City never received such a request from the Ministry of Land and made the decision independently.

Lee denies the charges in this case and has included lawyer Lee Seung-yeop (27th Judicial Research and Training Institute class) in his defense team. Lee Seung-yeop, a former chief judge, also served as Lee's defense attorney during the trial for false statements related to the forced hospitalization of Lee's elder brother in 2018. That forced hospitalization case was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2020.

◆ Witness examinations scheduled for Yoo Dong-gyu, Kim Yong, Hwang Moon-gi, etc.

A photo taken in January 2015 during an overseas business trip to New Zealand, showing Lee Jae-myung, then mayor of Seongnam and current leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, together with former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu and the late Kim Moon-gi, former Development Division 1 Director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation (left), and a photo of Lee and Kim holding hands. / Photo by People Power Party

Given the sharp differences between the prosecution and Lee's side since the preparatory hearings, intense confrontations are expected during the trial process, including witness examinations.

On the 31st of next month, former Planning Director Yoo Dong-gyu of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation will appear as a witness. After Lee's statement about Kim, Yoo changed his stance, breaking his silence about Lee and made a determined statement immediately after his release.

At Lee's request, his close aide former Deputy Director Kim Yong of the Democratic Research Institute is also scheduled to appear as a witness. Kim is currently on trial along with Yoo and lawyer Nam Wook (a private developer involved in Daejang-dong) for allegedly receiving illegal election funds from private developers of the Daejang-dong project ahead of the presidential election.

Interrogations of Kim's bereaved family and former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation President Hwang Mu-seong are also planned. Hwang claims that Lee's side pressured him to resign as president of the corporation in 2015 when Lee was mayor of Seongnam.

Under the Public Official Election Act, making false statements is punishable by imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 30 million won. If found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment or fined 1 million won or more, Lee will be disqualified from running for office for five years and barred from participating in the next presidential election.