Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea stated that legislative measures should be put in place to ensure national stability, in response to a recent decision by the court handling President Lee Jae-myung’s public election law violation case. The decision was to indefinitely postpone the trial, citing the constitutional provision granting the president immunity from prosecution.
On October 10, during an interview on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show,’ Rep. Jung commented on the necessity for the National Assembly to address the situation through amendments to criminal procedure law, which would halt presidential trials. This amendment passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, led by the Democratic Party, in April and is now pending before the full assembly.
Previously, the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 7 (Presiding Judge Lee Jae-kwon) changed the date for a retrial related to President Lee’s public election law violation and decided on ‘designation later,’ which means the trial is postponed without setting a new date. The court cited Article 84 of the Constitution, which stipulates that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted, except for insurrection or external aggression charges.
Rep. Jung emphasized that the interpretation of Article 84 is clear, aiming to ensure the stability of a sitting president’s duties. He stated that, as the nation’s supreme power holder, elected directly by the people and head of the executive branch, the president’s duties must be stabilized, with prosecution allowed only for insurrection or external aggression charges, stopping ongoing trials unless they are finalized.
The Democratic Party aims to solve this legislatively. Rep. Jung referred to the past swift handling of President Lee’s case by then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, intended to strip his candidacy, cautioning that similar judges may emerge again.
Additionally, regarding other trials President Lee is involved in, including second trials for perjury, first trials for cases related to Daejang-dong, Wirye, Baekhyun-dong, Seongnam FC, and suspicions of illicit transactions with North Korea by Ssangbangwool, and misusing corporate cards, Rep. Jung predicted that these would also be 100% halted by the judiciary.