Joo Jin-woo: "Live Broadcasts of Major Trials Are a Social Demand"
The People Power Party plans to request the court to broadcast live on TV the first trial sentencing hearing of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on charges of false statement disclosure and subornation of perjury under the Public Official Election Act.
According to the People Power Party's Legal Advisory Committee on the 1st, Chairman Joo Jin-woo will visit the Seoul Central District Court on the 4th to submit a written request for live TV broadcast of Lee's first trial sentencing hearing. The Seoul Central District Court will hold the first trial sentencing hearings for Lee's Public Official Election Act violation and subornation of perjury charges on the 15th and 25th, respectively.
Since this matter involves the current leader of the Democratic Party and has significant public interest, and because the social impact of the verdict will be substantial, it is necessary to have a live TV broadcast of the sentencing process so that the public can directly verify that the conclusion was reached under the judiciary's careful judgment.
The Seoul Central District Court has previously broadcast important cases live, such as the first trial of former President Park Geun-hye's state affairs manipulation case in 2018 and the first trial sentencing of former President Lee Myung-bak on bribery charges.
In a statement posted on Facebook that day, Representative Joo said, "There has been strong social demand for trial broadcasts of major cases, and the court has been continuously striving to expand trial broadcast coverage," adding, "Article 109 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea stipulates that 'the trial and judgment shall be public,' and Article 57 of the Court Organization Act similarly stipulates that the trial and judgment shall be public, establishing openness as the principle," explaining the validity of live TV broadcasting.
Shin Ju-ho, the full-time deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party, also urged acceptance of live broadcasting in a written commentary titled "If the Democratic Party is confident, boldly request live broadcast of the court sentencing." He said, "The Democratic Party has previously stated regarding live broadcasts of first trial sentencing hearings of former presidents that 'court broadcasts confirm the universal common sense that all people are equal before the law.'"
Deputy Spokesperson Shin pointed out, "The Democratic Party speaks completely differently about Lee's first trial sentencing. They oppose live broadcast of the sentencing as a 'human rights violation.' They also claim 'editing' day after day regarding the subornation of perjury recordings and conduct a 'not guilty petition relay show.' This is nothing short of a ridiculous farce." He pressured, "Isn't it the Democratic Party, which claims editing, that should be requesting the live broadcast?"
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