Democratic Party to Prevent 'Prosecutorial Dictatorship'... 'Lee Jae-myung Not Guilty' Meeting

Lee's 4 Trials: 2 Cases, 1st Trial Verdict in November
Park Chandae: "Prosecution Has Become a Tool to Eliminate Political Opponents"
Han Junho: "Hope It Reveals How Unfair Lee's Trials Are"

The Democratic Party of Korea held a briefing session on the theme of 'Accusing the Prosecution of Fabricating Cases.' Participants in the briefing session addressed and refuted testimonies and arguments that emerged during the trial of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung one by one. Lee is currently facing four trials on charges including false information disclosure under the Public Official Election Act. Among them, the first trial results for two cases are expected to be announced in November.

The Prosecution Dictatorship Committee (Geomdokwi) and the Legal Committee within the Democratic Party held a briefing session titled 'Accusing the Prosecution of Fabricating Cases!' at the National Assembly on the morning of the 23rd. Eighteen members of the National Assembly and experts attended, including Floor Leader Park Chan-dae, Geomdokwi Chairman Han Jun-ho, and Legal Committee Chairman Park Gyun-taek. In his congratulatory speech, Floor Leader Park stated, "Since the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, South Korea has fallen into a 'prosecution dictatorship' state," and claimed, "There are countless cases where the prosecution distorts testimonies and extracts false statements for political purposes." He added, "A representative example is the investigation of Leader Lee Jae-myung."

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (second from the left), is delivering a congratulatory speech at the 'Accusing the Prosecution of Fabricating Cases!' meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 23rd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Floor Leader Park said, "The prosecution used malicious investigative methods such as editing evidence and distorting witness statements against Leader Lee," calling it "a crime that seriously undermines judicial justice." He continued, "The prosecution has become a tool for eliminating political opponents," and said, "Despite numerous suspicions raised against President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, they have been repeatedly granted impunity." Furthermore, he emphasized, "We will ensure that there is no place for 'political prosecution' in this land ever again." The Democratic Party recently announced plans to impeach Seoul Central District Prosecutor General Lee Chang-soo and Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung, who decided not to indict First Lady Kim in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations.

Geomdokwi Chairman Han Jun-ho said on the day, "There is a lurking risk of abuse of prosecutorial power under the 'Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution regime,'" and expressed hope that "(the briefing session) will be an opportunity to confirm how unfair the trial against Lee Jae-myung is." He also added, "I hope it will be a time to urge the court for a fair judgment." This was an indirect expression of a not guilty opinion, demanding a 'fair judgment' from the trial panel ahead of the first trial verdict. The prosecution has requested the maximum prison sentences of two years and three years respectively for Lee’s violations of the Public Official Election Act and charges of witness tampering.

Professor Seo Bo-hak of Kyung Hee University Law School, who participated as a discussant, stated, "We must undertake comprehensive reforms to separate the prosecution’s investigative and prosecutorial powers." The discussion related to Leader Lee’s trial continued for over 50 minutes that day. Previously, the pro-Lee faction lawmakers’ group, 'The Yeomin Forum,' held two debate sessions at the National Assembly on the 15th and 22nd, asserting that Leader Lee is not guilty.