First Trial After Daejang-dong Bench Change... Both Sides Disagree Over 'Simplification of Renewal Procedures'

Both sides clashed over the renewal of the trial for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment allegations. Lee's side argued that the audio recordings should be listened to as before, but the court decided to prioritize the examination of the transcript during the evidence investigation.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is greeting supporters as he attends the continuation of the first trial related to the Daejang-dong breach of trust and Seongnam FC bribery case at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 4th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 33 (Presiding Judge Lee Jin-gwan) held a trial session on the 4th for Lee's charges of breach of trust and bribery. This trial was the first held after the regular judicial personnel reshuffle. The presiding judge of Criminal Division 33 changed from Chief Judge Kim Dong-hyun to Chief Judge Lee Jin-gwan, and both associate judges were also replaced.

On this day, the court inquired about the intention to simplify the renewal procedure in accordance with the revised Criminal Procedure Rules. Recently, the Supreme Court amended the Criminal Procedure Rules to prevent delays in criminal trials by allowing the renewal procedure to be conducted in a simplified manner, such as reviewing transcripts or notifying both parties, without playing all previously recorded trial audio files.

The prosecution agreed to this. On the other hand, Lee's side did not agree to proceed with the simplified renewal procedure, stating, "It may be necessary for the court to start with a thorough understanding of the complex content and structure of the case for smooth future hearings."

In response, the court stated, "Since (Lee's side) does not agree to simplify the renewal procedure, it seems clear that the simplified method cannot be used," adding, "We will make the examination of the transcript the principle, but after the evidence investigation, we will decide whether to listen to specific audio parts after hearing further arguments."

The next trial session for Lee is scheduled to take place on the 11th at 10:30 a.m.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.