Kwon Seong-dong Explains Why "Lee Jae-myung's Second Trial Verdict Must Come Out Before February 15"

Lee's First Trial Took 2 Years and 2 Months
Presidential Warrant Issued in One Day
"Delays Undermine Trust in Fairness"

On the 2nd, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated, "The judiciary allowed all of Lee Jae-myung's various trial delay tactics and took a full 2 years and 2 months to conclude the first trial of the Public Official Election Act case, which should have been finished within 6 months after indictment." He added, "Now, the second trial verdict on Lee's violation of the Public Official Election Act must come out by February 15." Kwon's remarks directly targeted Lee, who has been suspected of deliberately delaying the trial, pointing out that under the Public Official Election Act, the second trial verdict for election offenders must be delivered within 3 months after the first trial verdict.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the meeting of party leaders presided over by Speaker Woo Won-shik at the National Assembly on the 31st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

At the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Kwon said, "The judiciary must conduct the trials on Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party's various corruption charges swiftly and strictly," setting a firm deadline for Lee's second trial verdict. Since Lee's first trial verdict on the Public Official Election Act violation was delivered on November 15 last year, the second trial verdict must come before February 15 according to the law. The Public Official Election Act stipulates that the verdict for election offenders must be completed within 6 months for the first trial and within 3 months after each preceding verdict for the second and third trials. However, Lee's first trial, which sentenced him to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence, took 2 years and 2 months to conclude, and suspicions arose that Lee was deliberately delaying the trial by not appointing a lawyer ahead of the appeal trial. Floor Leader Kwon's remarks are interpreted as emphasizing that even if an early presidential election becomes visible, the final verdict on Lee must be delivered before the election day. As time passes, the ruling and opposition parties' 'race to expedite' the impeachment trial and Lee's trial is expected to intensify further.

On the morning of the 2nd, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, delivered a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the 2025 securities and derivatives market held at the Korea Exchange Seoul office, attended by National Assembly, government, and financial investment industry officials. Photo by Heo Yeong-han

Floor Leader Kwon also pointed out fairness issues, referring to the fact that a warrant for President Yoon was issued just one day after the request on the 31st of last month. He said, "If the judiciary proceeds swiftly with President Yoon's warrant review but delays Lee's trial, trust in the judiciary's fairness will inevitably be shaken." He added, "In the Baekhyeon-dong case, lobbyist Kim In-seop's 5-year prison sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court, and in the North Korea remittance case, Lee Hwa-young, who is practically a co-principal offender with Lee, received a 7 years and 8 months prison sentence confirmed in the second trial," emphasizing, "Since the facts have become clear, the verdict on Lee himself must also be delivered promptly."

If the impeachment motion against President Yoon is accepted by April, and Lee delays his trial by a month or two, Lee is likely to emerge as a strong presidential candidate. In the legal community, since Justices Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-seon are set to retire on April 18, it is expected that a final conclusion on the impeachment trial will be reached by April this year. With two new constitutional court justices recently appointed, the impeachment trial against President Yoon is expected to accelerate further.