On April 29, Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, appeared in court for the first time in the Daejangdong trial since being nominated as the candidate. He did not respond to questions and headed straight to the courtroom, but greeted his supporters.
Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate accused of breach of trust in Daejangdong and bribery related to Seongnam FC, is greeting his supporters as he attends a trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on April 29, 2025. Photo by Kang Jin Hyung
On this day, Lee attended a trial at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Agreement Division 33 (Presiding Judge Lee Jin Kwan), which was hearing the cases related to Daejangdong, Wirye, Baekhyeon-dong, and Seongnam FC.
When reporters asked, "This is your first trial since being confirmed as the presidential candidate, do you have any comments?" and "What is your view on the Supreme Court expediting the review of the appeal in the Public Official Election Act violation case?" Lee did not answer and entered the courtroom without comment.
Lee was indicted in March last year on charges that, during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam starting in August 2014, he approved a Daejangdong development structure favorable to private businesses, thereby granting special favors and causing 489.5 billion won in losses to Seongnam Development Corporation. He also faces charges of providing insider information through an associate to private operators in connection with the Wirye New Town development project, enabling them to gain 21.1 billion won in undue profits.
In addition, as the owner of Seongnam FC, Lee is accused of providing business conveniences such as construction permits and land use changes in exchange for receiving a total of 13.35 billion won in sponsorships from four companies: Doosan Construction, Naver, Cha Hospital, and Pureun Wirye.
At a trial held on April 8, the court decided to proceed with additional hearings on May 13 and May 27, including during the presidential campaign period. As a result, Lee will also have to attend trial on May 27, just one week before the presidential election.
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