‘Legislative Proposal to Restrict Activities of Lawmakers Convicted in 1st and 2nd Trials’
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters An Chaewon and Cho Dawoon – On the 25th, the People Power Party labeled the perjury inducement case of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung as an act of ‘judicial interference’ and urged the court for a strict judgment ahead of the first trial ruling.
Particularly, there were proposals to legislate restrictions on legislative activities if a conviction is upheld in the second trial as well.
At the National Assembly strategy meeting, Representative Han Dong-hoon stated, “After the sentencing under the Public Official Election Act on the 15th, Lee’s judicial risk has transitioned from a risk to an actual judicial process.” He continued, “Perjury, inducement of perjury, and false accusations are typical cases of judicial interference. The court will make a stringent judgment.”
Floor Leader Chu Kyung-ho said, “Although Lee Jae-myung was convicted by the Supreme Court for the ‘prosecutor impersonation’ case in 2002, he completely denied his wrongdoing, claiming he was falsely accused during the 2018 Gyeonggi Governor debate.” He explained, “While being tried for spreading false information, he is accused of persistently coaxing Kim Jin-sung and sending him his defense brief to encourage perjury.”
Chu further remarked, “In the past 22 years, Lee has not acknowledged his mistakes and has been focused on avoiding situations through lies and makeshift solutions. I hope the judiciary will deliver a fair judgment based on legal principles and conscience.”
He also added, “I hope this will mark the end of Lee Jae-myung-style politics of deception.”
Executive member Kim Jae-won criticized, “Lee thinks of the world too simplistically, trying to cover his lies with more lies, and recently received a suspended sentence for election law violations. We must ensure that lying politicians can no longer stand on this land.”
Executive member Kim Min-jeon proposed, “The constitution does not guarantee all parliamentary activities for those convicted in the first and second trials. We urgently need to legislate restrictions on the activities of lawmakers convicted in the first and second trials under the National Assembly Act.”
Youth executive member Jin Jong-oh commented on the Democratic Party’s proposal to revise the Public Official Election Act by removing false information disclosure crimes and raising the threshold for nullifying an election, calling it “a prime example of favoritism turning the rule of law into a personal shield.” He emphasized, “Legislative power is a tool for protecting citizens’ lives, not bulletproofing Lee Jae-myung.”
Deputy Strategy Planning Chief Shin Ji-ho stated on SBS Radio, “Competent lawyers within our party predict a likely sentence of around one year,” while Executive member Kim Jong-hyuk remarked on CBS Radio, “If acquitted, perjury charges should all be eliminated in the future.”