Citizen Group Submits Petition with 13,000 Signatures
Claims Live Broadcast of False Information Disclosure and Perjury Inducement
It has been confirmed that a request to livestream the trial of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has been indicted on charges of third-party bribery related to the 'Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance' case, has been submitted to the Suwon District Court.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the 2024 Democratic Party of Korea Incheon City Party-Government Council held at the National Assembly on the 7th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
According to the legal community on the 7th, Min Kyung-woo, executive director of the civic group Gil, submitted a 'Petition for Livestreaming Lee Jae-myung's Trial' to the Criminal Division 11 of Suwon District Court (Chief Judge Shin Jin-woo), which is handling Lee's third-party bribery case, the day before.
Lee is scheduled to receive first trial verdicts on charges of false statement publication and perjury inducement at the Seoul Central District Court on the 15th and 25th, respectively. In this regard, the ruling party and some opposition parties argue that the trial should be livestreamed for the public's right to know.
According to the Supreme Court's 'Regulations on Court Attendance and Filming,' if the defendant consents to livestreaming, the sentencing trial can be livestreamed, and even if the defendant does not consent, the sentencing of first and second trials can be livestreamed at the court's discretion if it is judged to be of significant public interest. However, the livestreaming request submitted to the Suwon District Court is merely an opinion that does not require acceptance or rejection by the court, so it currently holds little legal significance in the trial process.
Lee's third-party bribery case related to North Korea remittance is still awaiting the third preparatory hearing scheduled for the 12th, and since the formal trial procedures have not yet begun, it is expected to take considerable time until the sentencing trial.
Lee is on trial for allegedly conspiring with Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, to have Kim Sung-tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, pay $5 million in project funds for the 'Hwanghae Province Smart Farm Support' project, which Gyeonggi Province had promised to pay to North Korea, between January and April 2019. He is also charged with having Kim pay $3 million between July 2019 and January 2020 for protocol expenses related to the governor's visit to North Korea, as requested by the North Korean side.
The prosecution believes that Lee and others promised Kim that Gyeonggi Province would support and guarantee Ssangbangwool Group's business with North Korea in return, but Lee's side denies all charges.
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