"The claim of 'overzealous prosecution' has lost its persuasiveness"
"Lee Jaemyung must not remain silent and should clearly state his legal position"
Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, raised concerns that legal risks surrounding Democratic Party candidate Lee Jaemyung could lead to national turmoil, and called for a responsible attitude toward the Constitution and democracy.
On May 3, through social media, Lee stated, "The current Public Official Election Act violation case involving Democratic Party candidate Lee Jaemyung is not the result of external political maneuvering, but rather the outcome of trials that Lee has faced for years." He added, "Especially after the recent Supreme Court ruling indicating a guilty verdict, the argument that this was an 'overzealous prosecution by the prosecutors' has lost its persuasiveness."
Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, urged Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, to make a clear statement regarding the violation of the Public Official Election Act.
He continued, "Since the Supreme Court has clearly recognized the act of disseminating false information, there is no basis for evading legal responsibility." He further stated, "Even if Lee is elected, there remains the possibility of his election being annulled or losing his position. This could result in the waste of election costs amounting to hundreds of billions of won, as well as concerns about a governmental vacuum, political chaos, and social division."
He also said, "We have previously experienced impeaching a president who violated the Constitution," and strongly criticized, "Nevertheless, the fact that a candidate who again threatens the constitutional order is running in the presidential election is a grave betrayal of democracy."
In particular, he pointed out, "Lee Jaemyung and the Democratic Party are not resolving legal controversies through legitimate means, but are instead attacking the judiciary or openly denying the separation of powers." He diagnosed this as "an irresponsible political act that seeks only power while turning a blind eye to legal responsibility."
Lee urged Lee Jaemyung, "If you are a responsible candidate, you should inquire with the Supreme Court about the possibility of expediting the trial, and request the Constitutional Court to determine the scope of Article 84 of the Constitution (the presidential privilege of immunity from prosecution)." He added, "The minimum duty is to transparently disclose all legal issues before the public."
He further emphasized, "The people have the right to know and to make an informed choice," and urged, "Lee Jaemyung must not remain silent and should clearly state his position right now, at this very moment."
Chief Justice Cho Hee Dae entered the Supreme Court courtroom in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 1st to announce order for the full bench ruling on the election law case of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung. Photo by Joint Press Corps
The previous day, Lee also posted about Lee Jaemyung's Public Official Election Act violation case, stating, "The Democratic Party is speaking as if they are living with no tomorrow, saying things like 'see you in a month' or 'the separation of powers must be abolished.'" He continued, "This appears to be an attempt to pressure the judiciary, believing that the Supreme Court ruling on Lee Jaemyung will not be issued before the presidential election."
He warned, "Turning the judiciary into an enemy is clearly a violation of the constitutional order. The more such remarks are repeated, the more disadvantageous it will be for Lee Jaemyung, whose guilty verdict is already virtually confirmed." He added, "Even if the court is inclined to grant a suspended sentence as in the first trial, seeing such an arrogant and reckless candidate, and those who are obsessively concerned with his well-being, if I were a judge, I would consider immediate detention for the sake of social stability." He further cautioned, "If you keep acting as if there is no tomorrow, what the Democratic Party should be worried about is not the schedule for the retrial, but the possibility of their presidential candidate being taken into custody." He also pointed out, "It is surprisingly common for defendants to be taken into custody at the second trial in election law violation cases."
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