**President Lee Jae-myung Criticizes Overuse of Appeals and Supreme Court Rights in Korean Legal System**
On the 30th, during the 44th Cabinet Meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office, President Lee Jae-myung criticized the prosecution for abusing the right to appeal and petition the Supreme Court in cases where they lost, causing harm to the citizens. He asked, “Why is the state being so cruel to the people?”
Addressing Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho, President Lee questioned, “When prosecutors pursue baseless indictments and receive not guilty verdicts, they file appeals and petitions, causing suffering to the people. Why is this being allowed?” He pointed to issues in the criminal justice system.
The President highlighted that citizens suffer extensively through a long trial process after being wrongly indicted, even when eventually acquitted. He emphasized the financial and emotional toll exacted on individuals who receive multiple non-guilty verdicts only to face appeals and potential financial ruin.
President Lee questioned the logic of having three judges in the first trial render a not guilty decision, only for another set of three judges in an appeal to overturn it to guilty. He asked Minister Jeong why more countries do not restrict appeals after a not guilty verdict.
Justice Minister Jeong remarked that while there is a system for appeals, it often does not align with common sense or general legal principles. He noted that many continental legal systems restrict appeals after acquittals, unlike in the United States, where the priority is on the defendant’s rights, preventing such appeals.
President Lee requested statistics on the probability of an acquittal being overturned on appeal or by the Supreme Court. When Minister Jeong provided figures—5% at the appeals court and 1.7% at the Supreme Court—President Lee pointed out the absurdity of the vast majority enduring stress and financial burden to re-confirm their acquittal.
The President stressed that wrongful incrimination should not occur and that the legal system should not cause widespread suffering in pursuit of a single conviction. He suggested possibly changing regulations or criteria for prosecutors’ decisions to address these issues.
Particularly, President Lee expressed concern over severe penalties in cases where public excitement leads to the wrongful conviction of innocent individuals in major crimes. He urged Minister Jeong to devise improvements, to which the minister responded that he is implementing changes and receiving daily reports from the Prosecutors’ Office.