Lee Jae-myung, a candidate for the Democratic Party presidential primary, attended the 75th trial hearing on charges of embezzlement related to Daejang-dong and bribery allegations involving Seongnam FC at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. The Supreme Court has concluded the process of assigning a division to oversee the appeal case related to Lee Jae-myung’s violation of the Public Official Election Act and will now begin the substantive hearing of the case.
On the 22nd, the Supreme Court assigned Lee’s election law violation case to its second division, consisting of Justices Oh Kyung-mi, Kwon Young-joon, Um Sang-pil, and Park Young-jae, with Justice Park Young-jae serving as the principal judge.
According to Supreme Court regulations, the principal judge is assigned after the deadline for submitting a written response to the appeal’s reasons expires. Lee’s side submitted their response on the last day of the deadline.
Justice Park, who hails from Busan and graduated from Baejeon High School and Seoul National University Law School, started his career as a judge at the Eastern Branch of the Seoul District Court in 1996. He has extensive experience handling civil, criminal, and administrative cases across various courts in Seoul, Daejeon, Suncheon, and Busan. He has also held positions such as a professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, a counselor at the National Court Administration, and a deputy head of the Court Administration Office.
Upon his inauguration, Justice Park stated, “It is no exaggeration to say that trust in the judiciary depends on prompt and fair trials,” and he emphasized the need for a diligent and considerate approach in conducting proceedings swiftly and justly to ensure the validity of outcomes.
Lee was indicted for allegedly violating election laws by disseminating false information in connection with the alleged special treatment for land-use changes involving the late Kim Moon-ki, former director of the Development Department 1 of Seongnam Development Corporation, and the site of the Korean Food Research Institute in Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam, during his candidacy as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 2021.
The lower court initially sentenced Lee to a suspended prison term, but the appeals court acquitted him on the 26th of last month.
There is significant interest in the timing of the Supreme Court’s final ruling with the presidential election upcoming. According to the Public Official Election Act, the Supreme Court’s decision must be delivered within three months of the appeals court’s verdict, which is due by June 26.