Supreme Court Assigns Lee Jaemyung's Election Law Appeal to Panel Led by Justice Park Youngjae

The panel of judges for the Supreme Court appeal regarding former Democratic Party leader Lee Jaemyung’s violation of the Public Official Election Act has been determined. With the assignment of the case now complete, the Supreme Court is expected to begin a full-scale review of the case.

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Jaemyung is attending the continuation of the first trial on the charges of breach of trust in Daejangdong and bribery related to Seongnam FC at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on April 22, 2025. Photo by Cho Yongjun

On April 22, the Supreme Court assigned Lee’s election law violation case to the second panel, which is composed of Justices Oh Kyungmi, Kwon Youngjun, Eom Sangpil, and Park Youngjae. Justice Park Youngjae has been designated as the presiding judge.

Lee Jaemyung was indicted in September 2022 on charges that his statements?claiming not to know the late Kim Moonki, former Director of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Development Corporation, and his remarks related to Baekhyeon-dong?were false during the Democratic Party’s presidential primary in 2021. In the first trial last November, Lee was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence, which would have resulted in the loss of his parliamentary seat. However, on March 26, the appellate court acquitted him.

In response, on April 10, the prosecution submitted its statement of grounds for appeal to the Supreme Court’s third panel, which was originally handling Lee’s election law violation case. Typically, the defendant is given ten days to submit their own statement after receiving the prosecution’s appeal. Lee’s legal team submitted their statement on the deadline, April 21.