Representative Lee Jae-myung's Perjury Instruction First Trial Verdict on the 25th
Political Impact on the Democratic Party and Beyond Depending on Guilty or Not Guilty Verdict
Will Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, be able to make a comeback, or will he sink deeper into the quagmire of judicial risks? As the first trial verdict on the perjury coaching charge approaches, the political world is holding its breath, waiting for the outcome.
On the 25th, ahead of the first trial for Lee’s perjury coaching charge, both ruling and opposition parties showed cautious behavior as if walking on thin ice. Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, who had previously raised the possibility of Lee’s court detention by citing the prior passage of the parliamentary arrest consent bill, calmly stated in a public supreme council meeting, “We will watch the trial quietly.” Lee himself, the subject of the trial, only mentioned diplomatic and livelihood issues, making no separate remarks about the trial.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is listening to the remarks of the Supreme Council members at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 25th.
However, Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, urged, “We ask the judiciary to make a fair judgment based on law and conscience,” and Kim Jae-won, a supreme council member of the People Power Party, said, “I hope it clearly shows what happens to politicians who lie in Korea.” From the Democratic Party, Jeon Hyun-hee, a supreme council member, argued on legal grounds that “Lee is innocent.”
Lee faces allegations of impersonating a prosecutor in 2002 to make a phone call to Kim Byung-ryang, then mayor of Seongnam, for which he was fined. In 2018, he claimed he was “falsely accused” regarding this matter. The prosecution indicted him for spreading false information, but he was acquitted. The key issue in this trial is whether Lee coached perjury during that process.
Regarding this case, although the National Assembly passed a consent bill for Lee’s arrest, the court dismissed the arrest warrant during the warrant review. At that time, the court judged that “the perjury coaching charge was substantiated,” leading many in political and legal circles to predict that acquittal would be difficult. If sentenced to imprisonment or more for perjury coaching, Lee would lose his eligibility to run for office for 5 to 10 years after serving his sentence. Among the five trials Lee is facing simultaneously, the one with the longest remaining period will determine the disqualification period, making each trial a ‘landmine’ on his path to the presidency.
In the political sphere, if a guilty verdict follows the first trial on the Public Official Election Act with the perjury coaching charge, it is expected that not only Lee’s presidential ambitions but also the Democratic Party, which has been operating under Lee’s one-man leadership, will face serious challenges. Concerns that the ‘judicial risk’ that has persisted since Lee’s leadership could hamper the Democratic Party are growing. For now, under the principle that ‘the best defense is a good offense,’ the Democratic Party plans to attempt a re-vote on the special investigation law for First Lady Kim Geon-hee at the plenary session on the 28th. President Yoon Seok-youl intends to exercise his veto power on the special investigation law for the First Lady, which passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 14th, within this week. Lee’s ambitious ‘Meoksanism’ and other initiatives since becoming party leader are expected to face setbacks, and the party’s internal atmosphere, which emphasized ‘unity in crisis,’ is also expected to change. Both pro-Lee (Chinmyeong) and anti-Lee (Bimyeong) factions are likely to quietly explore alternatives to Lee.
If Lee is acquitted or receives a fine without disqualification, unlike the election law case, a backlash stronger than when the arrest warrant was dismissed during the warrant review could blow toward the ruling party. For Lee, this would mean a chance to recover from the shock of the guilty verdict on the Public Official Election Act and make a political comeback. Although it is a separate case, it could calm internal party turmoil and allow him to momentarily seize control of the political situation. Through this, Lee could resolve judicial risks on their own terms while securing space to continue his path in power.
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