Court Requests Prosecution to Amend Indictment
Jung Jun Hee Selected as Sentencing Witness
Lee Jae Myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering a negotiation group representative speech at the plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 10th. 2025.2.10 Photo by Kim Hyun Min
The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-2 (Presiding Judges Choi Eun Jung, Lee Ye Seul, and Jung Jae Oh), which is handling the appeal trial of Lee Jae Myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, has requested that the prosecution specify which parts constitute false information. The court also decided to summon Jung Jun Hee, an adjunct professor at Hanyang University, as a witness regarding sentencing.
The panel pointed out, "The indictment is written in a list format, so it may not be clear what exactly is at issue." The court implied that since the entire interview content is included, it may be necessary to amend the indictment itself in order to clarify the problematic expressions.
The judges stated, "For example, you did not indict the part where he said, 'I am saddened by the death of former Deputy Chief Kim and offer my condolences,'" adding, "The specific facts of the indictment must be identified within the indictment itself." In response to the court's remarks, the prosecution said, "We will consider amending the indictment so that each statement can be distinguished, rather than being lumped together."
The court also granted Lee's side the opportunity to present testimony from a sentencing witness. Lee explained, "I am requesting Professor Jung Jun Hee as a witness. He has extensive experience moderating presidential candidate debates, and I want to demonstrate that my remarks had minimal impact on the election, as they were made as impromptu answers during a live broadcast." The court decided to question Professor Jung at 10:30 a.m. on the 26th. The panel also reiterated its intention to conclude arguments and reach a decision after the proceedings in the afternoon of the 26th.
Lee was indicted on charges of saying in media interviews during his 2021 presidential candidacy that he did not know former Deputy Chief Kim while serving as mayor of Seongnam, despite actually knowing him. The prosecution found Lee guilty regarding his remarks related to Baekhyeon-dong and sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years. Under the Public Official Election Act, if an elected official is confirmed to have received a fine of 1 million won or more, the election result is annulled. Both the right to vote and the right to run for office are also suspended for ten years.
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