Democratic Party Holds Emergency Meeting over Lee Remand... Protests "Supreme Court Intervened in Election" (Comprehensive)

Lee Jae Myung: "A Verdict Completely Different from What I Expected"
"Political Prosecution, Judicial Coup, and Ongoing Acts of Insurrection"

On May 1, the Democratic Party of Korea convened an emergency general assembly of its lawmakers in response to the Supreme Court's decision to remand the second trial verdict in the public official election law violation case involving presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung for a guilty verdict. The Democratic Party reacted strongly, claiming that the Supreme Court had unjustly intervened in the presidential election through a rushed trial. The party harshly criticized the judiciary, stating that the act of the judiciary trying to take away national sovereignty and the people's right to choose constitutes an ongoing act of insurrection.

The Democratic Party began its general assembly at 5 p.m. on the same day, immediately after the Supreme Court's ruling. The party plans to discuss the impact of the remand on the election and future response strategies. Before the assembly, officials from the party's central election committee and leadership gathered in the party leader's office to urgently prepare countermeasures.

Earlier that day, the Supreme Court remanded Lee's public official election law violation case for a guilty verdict. In this case, Lee had previously received a guilty verdict in the first trial and a not-guilty verdict in the second trial. With the Supreme Court's remand, he will stand trial again at the Seoul High Court.

Lee Jae Myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is accused of breach of trust in Daejangdong and bribery related to Seongnam FC, is attending a trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on April 29, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Lee Jae Myung: "A Verdict Completely Different from What I Expected"

Presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung did not hide his surprise at the Supreme Court's decision to remand his case.

Immediately after the verdict, Lee told reporters, "This ruling is completely different from what I had expected." He added, "What is important is that the law is also a product of public consensus, and ultimately, the will of the people is the most important."

Regarding calls from rival parties such as the People Power Party for him to step down as a candidate, Lee said, "Political competitors will imagine all sorts of things," and emphasized, "Politics is ultimately done by the people. We must follow the will of the people."

Later, through his Facebook page, Lee reiterated, "It is neither politicians nor the judiciary who decide the lives of the people," and emphasized, "Ultimately, it is the people who decide. I will move forward confidently, trusting only in the people."

On April 30, 2025, at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party's 21st presidential candidate, and the central election committee chairpersons wore campaign jumpers and shouted "Fighting" at the launch ceremony of the 'Real Republic of Korea' central election committee. Photo by Kim Hyun Min

"Political Prosecution, Judicial Coup"... Democratic Party Outraged by Unexpected Outcome

The Supreme Court's remand triggered a strong and emotional response within the Democratic Party, as many did not anticipate this outcome.

Kim Dong Yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who competed in the party's presidential primary, commented, "Even the Supreme Court has now stepped into politics." On his Facebook page, Kim wrote, "I even suspect that this unprecedentedly swift ruling is intended to influence the presidential election," and added, "In the end, it is the people, as sovereigns, who will decide. The people stand above the judiciary."

Kim Kyung Soo, chief of the central election committee, also condemned the decision, stating, "The Supreme Court's excessive political intervention has thrown the country into confusion and undermined the trust of the people." He added, "While the judiciary previously released Yoon Suk Yeol with questionable logic, it has now intervened in politics at an unprecedented speed in this case. Judicial stability comes from public trust. Just as the people corrected democracy undermined by politics, they will also restore trust in the judiciary, which the Supreme Court has damaged, with their own hands."

Democratic Party Supreme Council member Lee Eon Joo protested, saying, "In a democratic republic, the judiciary's formal logic or complex interpretations cannot override the will of the sovereign people or the demands of the times. Defying the majority will of the sovereign is tantamount to a 'judicial coup'." Likewise, former Supreme Council member Jun Hyun Hee expressed strong regret immediately after the ruling, saying, "The Supreme Court, which has conducted an unprecedentedly rapid trial in Lee Jae Myung's case, has ultimately responded to the fabricated investigation and forced indictment by the political prosecutors of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. I express my strong regret at this unprecedented Supreme Court intervention in the presidential election."

Kim Yong Min, the party's chief deputy floor leader, criticized, "This is the time for national sovereignty and the people's choice, not for the legal profession. The Supreme Court has infringed on national sovereignty with an immature legal interpretation. The people did not grant the Supreme Court the authority to decide the fate of the Republic of Korea in just nine days."

Chief Justice Choi Hee-dae entered the Supreme Court courtroom in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 1st to preside over the full bench ruling on the public official election law case involving Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, and took his seat. 2025.05.01 Photo by Joint Press Corps

Representative Choi Min Hee said, "The Supreme Court's intervention in the presidential election and the judicial coup by Yoon Suk Yeol's friend Choi Hee Dae (the Chief Justice)." Representative Jung Chung Rae, chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, stated, "The president is not chosen by the Supreme Court. The president is chosen by the people." Kim Sung Hwan, head of the Democratic Party's election committee policy division, declared, "We will stand firmly with candidate Lee Jae Myung until the end."

Representative Jun Yong Ki argued, "Law and justice have disappeared, and politics is now covering the judiciary. The unusual scheduling of the verdict and the remand will clearly be seen as election interference." Representative Hwang Hyun Sun also wrote, "The conservative-dominated judiciary is shaking the fate of the country. This is blatant election interference, unless they have lost their minds."