"Tomorrow's National Assembly Plenary Session Is a Test, Key Issues Include Election Law Amendment"
Retrial on Violation of Public Official Election Act Scheduled for the 18th
Analysis Suggests Criminal Trials Cannot Proceed as Originally Planned
Lee Nakyeon, Senior Advisor of the New Future Democratic Party, congratulated President Lee Jaemyung on his election victory, while also urging, "I hope that the Republic of Korea will no longer be put to the test."
On June 4, Senior Advisor Lee posted on his Facebook, "The presidential election is over. I congratulate President-elect Lee Jaemyung on his victory, and I also extend my consolation to candidate Kim Moonsoo and others who were not elected."
He continued, "This presidential election saw a very high voter turnout. It is the highest turnout in 28 years since the 1997 presidential election held during the IMF financial crisis, when President Kim Daejung was elected. This is because the issues at stake in this election were of great significance to the people and the nation. The main issues were whether to clear the legacy of emergency martial law or to prevent the return of a dictatorial regime."
He also stated, "From early on, I warned about the emergence of a 'monster dictatorship,' in which legislative, executive, and judicial powers are all concentrated in the hands of one person. That was my own declaration of conscience in the face of an uncertain era. I sincerely hope my warning proves unfounded."
However, he added, "The National Assembly plenary session scheduled for tomorrow (the 5th) has become an early test. The issues are whether to amend the election law to change the offense of disseminating false information, for which President Lee was found guilty by the Supreme Court, and whether to revise the Criminal Procedure Act to postpone all trials involving President Lee. In addition, the Supreme Court's ruling on the alleged remittance to North Korea by former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Hwayeong will also serve as a litmus test for the independence of the judiciary and the maintenance of the rule of law. I sincerely hope that the Republic of Korea will not be subjected to further tests."
Meanwhile, President Lee Jaemyung is currently a defendant in a total of five cases. Debates are expected to continue over charges such as violation of the Public Official Election Act, subornation of perjury, and the Daejang-dong scandal. Various interpretations are emerging regarding the presidential immunity from criminal prosecution stipulated in Article 84 of the Constitution. However, considering that the Democratic Party is pursuing an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act to suspend trials upon a presidential election victory, the prevailing view is that it will be difficult for the criminal trials against candidate Lee to proceed as originally scheduled.
The most controversial case is the retrial on the charge of violating the Public Official Election Act, for which the first hearing is scheduled for June 18 at the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 7 (Presiding Judge Lee Jaegwon). On November 1 last year, President Lee was found guilty of disseminating false information in the first trial and was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence, which would result in the loss of his parliamentary seat.
The appellate court acquitted him in March, but on May 1, the Supreme Court overturned the decision and remanded the case for retrial with a guilty verdict in mind. The Seoul High Court panel in charge of the retrial initially set the first hearing for May 15, but granted President Lee's request to postpone it until after the presidential election.
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