[AI's Perspective...] How Will Lee's Public Official Election Act Remand Affect the Presidential Election?

No Legal Obstacle to Candidacy,
But a Major Variable in the Election
Democratic Party Claims "Election Interference,"
People Power Party May Use It in Presidential Strategy
Controversy Over Review of Case Records...
Premature Judgments Should Be Avoided

Reporter: "How do you think the Supreme Court's decision to remand Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung's violation of the Public Official Election Act for a guilty verdict will affect the presidential election?" 

ChatGPT: "Even if there are no direct legal obstacles, it will serve as a significant variable in election strategies."

With the Supreme Court remanding Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung's violation of the Public Official Election Act for a guilty verdict, Lee will now face a retrial at the Seoul High Court. Based on the Supreme Court's decision, the Seoul High Court is expected to proceed with additional sentencing hearings on the assumption of guilt.

There is also growing attention on the timing of the remand trial's ruling. Legal experts believe that it will be difficult for a final verdict to be reached before the June 3 presidential election, which is now only 30 days away. Even after the remand trial concludes, if either party appeals, a re-appeal process remains, and several legally mandated procedures must be followed, such as notice of hearing dates, delivery of documents, and submission of appeal briefs. Furthermore, the Supreme Court's unusually swift ruling has drawn intense interest from both political circles and voters regarding its potential impact on the upcoming presidential election.

We asked generative AI ChatGPT about how the Supreme Court's remand for a guilty verdict in Lee's Public Official Election Act case might affect the election.

People Power Party floor leader Kwon Sungdong is coming outside to hold a briefing after the Supreme Court ruling on the appeal case regarding the violation of the Public Official Election Act by Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News

ChatGPT emphasized, "The likelihood of a final verdict before the presidential election is low. While this does not pose a direct legal obstacle to Lee's candidacy, it will focus the attention of both political circles and voters and is likely to serve as a significant variable in future election strategies."

ChatGPT also explained, "The legal community believes that, given the difficulty of a final verdict before the election, there will be no major legal impediment to Lee's candidacy. The Democratic Party is strongly protesting the Supreme Court's remand decision, calling it 'clear election interference.' In contrast, the People Power Party is likely to highlight Lee Jaemyung's judicial risks and use them in its election strategy."

There is also ongoing debate within legal and political circles about whether the Supreme Court justices had sufficient time to thoroughly review and understand the entire case record, given the unusually short deliberation period for Lee's appeal trial.

On this issue, ChatGPT stated, "If some justices rendered a decision without fully understanding the key aspects of the case, this could seriously undermine trust in judicial responsibility and fairness. On the other hand, the Supreme Court typically has a panel of four justices conduct an initial review before deciding whether to refer the case to the full bench. In this process, decisions are sometimes made based on select opinions or summaries."

ChatGPT further advised, "If there is objective evidence that the justices did not conduct a thorough review, institutional improvements and accountability are necessary. However, one should avoid making hasty judgments based solely on the claims of those dissatisfied with the verdict."