Appeals Trial for Lee Jaemyung's Violation of the Public Official Election Act
Court Approves Prosecution's Request to Amend Indictment
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the trial for charges related to the Public Official Election Act at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 19th. 2025.2.19. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
The court handling the public official election law violation case against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has approved the prosecution's request to amend the indictment. On the 19th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-2 (Presiding Judges Choi Eun-jung, Lee Ye-seul, and Jung Jae-oh) made this decision during the fourth hearing of the second trial concerning Lee's alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act. The prosecution explained the background of the indictment amendment by stating, "Each interview was specifically linked to the actual statements and the corresponding false facts." They also added, "We wanted to clarify that false statements were made regarding the Baekhyeon-dong related charges."
The prosecution had previously presented three separate charges: "Not knowing Kim Moon-gi while serving as mayor," "Not playing golf with Kim Moon-gi during an overseas business trip taken together," and "Getting to know Kim Moon-gi only after being indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act as Gyeonggi Province governor." With this indictment amendment, the prosecution specified which of Lee's four broadcast interviews correspond to each of these charges.
In response, Lee's side criticized, "The prosecution is making a significant logical leap," and pointed out, "They interpret the statement that he did not know Kim Moon-gi during his time as Seongnam mayor as if denying all relationships with Kim Moon-gi." During the rebuttal, they also mentioned Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Lee's defense attorney stated, "Mayor Oh suddenly raised the three major suspicions about Baekhyeon-dong the day before, which were false statements. It was clearly a false statement that the defendant, while serving as Seongnam mayor, had preferentially allocated land to private developers." He added, "Despite the prosecution's excellent investigative skills, they do not address such statements at all. Lee's statements are a rebuttal to these."
On the same day, witness questioning was conducted for a former researcher affiliated with the Korea Food Research Institute regarding the Baekhyeon-dong land use change. This was followed by statements on additional written evidence. The court will summon Professor Jung Joon-hee of Hanyang University's Department of Information Society and Media, who was the host of MBC's 100-Minute Debate, as a sentencing witness on the 26th during the final hearing. On that day, Professor Jung's questioning, the prosecution's sentencing recommendation, and Lee's final statement are expected to take place. If so, it is anticipated that the second trial will conclude within March.
Lee was indicted for publicly disseminating false information related to the late Kim Moon-gi, former Head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, and the preferential land use change allegations concerning Baekhyeon-dong during his 2021 Democratic Party presidential candidacy. The first trial acquitted him of the statement "I did not know former Head Kim," but convicted him for statements implying "I did not play golf together" and "(The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) threatened regarding the Baekhyeon-dong land use change," sentencing him to one year in prison with a two-year probation. If this ruling is finalized, Lee will be deprived of his eligibility to run for office for ten years, making it impossible for him to run in the next presidential election.
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