Space Divided by Barricades Due to Collision Concerns
Conservative Camp Cheers 1-Year Prison Sentence and 2-Year Probation Outcome
Progressive Camp Shocked... Pacing in Front of the Court
On the 15th, the area in front of the Seoul Central District Court's West Building in Seocho-dong, Seoul was split in half like the 38th parallel. On this day, the Criminal Division 34 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Han Seong-jin) conducted the first trial sentencing for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was charged with violating the Public Official Election Act. Supporters from the progressive camp hoping for Lee’s acquittal and supporters from the conservative camp hoping for a guilty verdict arrived from 11 a.m. to wait for the trial.To prevent clashes between the two camps, the police set up a 10-meter-long barricade in the middle of the space in front of the West Building. The left side was designated for conservative supporters, and the right side was for progressive supporters only.
On the 15th, supporters of conservative and progressive camps are shouting across a barricade in front of the Seoul Central District Court West Building in Seocho-dong, Seoul. / Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@
Supporters from both camps exchanged barbed words across the barricade. A conservative supporter wearing sunglasses shouted toward the right side, "Arrest Lee Jae-myung!" In response, an elderly man in a suit retorted, "Lee Jae-myung is honest!" When another woman shouted, "Arrest Kim Geon-hee!" someone replied, "Kim Hye-kyung was fined 1.5 million won!" Some people, unable to contain their anger, swung their arms over the barricade, but no fists made contact with others.
Kim Hyun-woo (62, male) stood in the middle of the two camps, waiting for Lee to arrive. He came from Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, to support Lee. Kim said, "He is absolutely innocent," and added, "I came to the court to support Lee, who has been wronged. Even if the other side (conservative camp) provokes us, we will follow our own path."
The conservative supporters were equally earnest. Yang Jae-hoon (59, male), who lives in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, shouted slogans at the court from early morning "to save the country." He was so desperate that he held rallies every Saturday in front of Deoksugung Palace, hoping for a guilty verdict against Lee. "How can it take two years just for the first trial sentencing? That alone shows Lee received special treatment, not oppression. I just can't understand the people on the other side (progressive camp)."
On the 15th, conservative supporters are holding a rally in front of the main gate of the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul. Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@
At 2:16 p.m., Lee arrived at the court. About 50 conservative supporters began shouting "Arrest him!" and "Jail!" toward Lee. However, they were drowned out by the voices of about 200 progressive supporters. They raised their fists high and chanted "Lee Jae-myung! Not guilty!" to overpower the conservative voices. Perhaps out of frustration, a man threw a sneaker at Lee. Lee was not hit, and the police immediately arrested the man on the spot. Conservative supporters called him the "Shoe Martyr."
When Lee entered the courtroom, a brief lull fell over the crowd. Supporters from each camp gathered in small groups, refreshing portal sites and waiting for news. Some conservative supporters attended a rally condemning Lee at the three-way intersection in front of the court’s main gate. At 2:45 p.m., conservative YouTuber Shin Hye-sik took the microphone with an excited expression. "Everyone, breaking news! Lee’s statement denying knowledge of the late Kim Moon-gi, the second director of Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, is false!" Conservative supporters cheered and waved placards reading "Jae-myung, go to jail." Some waved the Taegeukgi and the U.S. flag vigorously.
On the 15th, supporters of the progressive camp remained silent at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, regarding the first trial verdict on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, accused of violating the Public Official Election Act. Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@
At 3 p.m., someone shouted joyfully to the progressive supporters waiting for the verdict. It was not the news they wanted. A conservative YouTuber shouted over the barricade, "Everyone! The first trial verdict is prison!" Progressive supporters lowered their heads and silently looked at their smartphones. No matter how much they stared, the verdict of one year in prison with two years probation did not change. Some supporters, unable to believe the result, kept asking those around them, "What is this saying?" A woman quietly shouted, "Investigate Kim Geon-hee!"
Seol Seong-hoon (65, male) turned away sharply before Lee even came out of the courtroom. His eyes were already red. In a trembling voice, he said, "I just can’t bear to see Lee because my heart is so heavy." "I can’t trust Korean society. President Yoon Seok-youl lied during the presidential election and committed worse evils with Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, so how can the court produce this kind of result...?"
On the 15th, conservative supporters are cheering at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, following the first trial verdict on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding charges of violating the Public Official Election Act. Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@
On the other hand, conservative supporters could not hide their joy. They stood in a circle and shouted "Hooray!" Progressive supporters glanced at them from beyond the barricade. Yoo Seung-tae (78, male), wearing a red jacket, was so excited that he shook hands with every passerby and acted familiar. Conservative supporters gladly accepted his handshakes and greetings. Yoo said, "Lee committed so many evils; this result is truly refreshing!" When Democratic Party lawmakers in black suits passed by, he shouted, "Lee Jae-myung is a devil, a devil!"
After the trial ended and people left, the police began removing the barricades. However, about ten people stayed in front of the court for nearly an hour after the trial. They were progressive supporters disappointed by the verdict. They shouted at the court, unable to hide their anger. One woman raised her voice, saying, "The judiciary should be dismantled along with the prosecution." There was also an opinion that since the Democratic Party was given so many seats, they should weed out the "Subak" (a derogatory term for non-Lee Jae-myung factions) for failing to protect Lee.
On the 15th, a progressive supporter shouted towards the courthouse after the trial of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, concluded at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul. / Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@
Kim Jung-hwi (67, male) kept pacing around the court with his hands in the pockets of his blue padded jacket. When asked why he didn’t go home, he replied, "Because my heart aches." Kim lamented that Lee was needed to punish the Yoon Seok-youl administration, which ruined the economy, but it seemed difficult now. Still, he said he would continue to support Lee. "I respect the judiciary’s decision. But I cannot give up the Democratic Party, which has been protected since former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. We must protect Lee too."
Kim left the court’s main gate only after 4 p.m. His home is in Namyangju City. On the downhill path from the court to the subway station, he quietly said, "I wonder when I’ll get home..."
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