5 Major Trials of President Lee Jae-myung: Why Their Resumption is Crucial for Justice
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The People Power Party began a series of press conferences on May 10th to demand the resumption of five trials against President Lee Jae-myung (Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, Wirye New Town, Seongnam FC cases, North Korea remittance case, and Gyeonggi-do corporate card misuse case).
Rep. Kang Myung-goo, the party’s deputy chairman for organization, took the lead in the first relay conference.
At a press conference held at the National Assembly’s communication office, Rep. Kang stated, “We strongly condemn the Democratic Party’s attempt to dismiss the indictments, which is shaking the nation’s judicial system and legal order to save just one person, President Lee Jae-myung. The five trials President Lee is facing must be resumed.”
Rep. Kang mentioned the prosecution’s recent decision to forgo an appeal on the first trial’s not guilty verdict in the Wirye New Town development preferential treatment case. He pointed out that this has prompted pro-Lee members of the Democratic Party to push for nationwide relay press conferences and rallies demanding the dismissal of indictments in President Lee’s trials.
Kang added, “They’re even talking about a parliamentary investigation. This is clearly political pressure on judicial procedures.”
Referring to the prosecution’s decision last year to forgo appeals on the first trial verdicts for accomplices in the Daejang-dong development corruption case, Kang criticized, “Suspicions were raised that the decision to forgo appeals was made under pressure from the administration, and this process led to divergent career paths for prosecutors. Those critical of the administration were demoted, while those who led the decision not to appeal were promoted. The starting point of this ‘march of injustice’ is President Lee’s Daejang-dong trial.”
Kang then mentioned Lee’s North Korea remittance case, emphasizing, “This is a case where Lee Hwa-young, a former Gyeonggi Province vice governor and accomplice, has already received a final guilty verdict of 7 years and 8 months in prison from the Supreme Court.”
Regarding the ‘salmon and alcohol party persuasion allegations’ raised by the Democratic Party, he said, “No substantial evidence was found in the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office investigation. Yet, the Democratic Party continues to claim it was a fabricated indictment.”
Kang argued, “The decisions not to appeal the Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town cases, claims of fabricated indictments in the North Korea remittance case, introduction of the law distortion crime, increase in Supreme Court justices, push for a ‘fourth trial’ system, and discussions on abolishing the breach of trust crime are all connected in one flow. The goal is to erase all five trials President Lee is facing.”
He continued, “Currently, President Lee’s five trials are only temporarily suspended due to political judgment and can be resumed at any time. Especially, the Public Official Election Act case has been remanded by the Supreme Court with a guilty opinion, and the other cases are awaiting first trial decisions. The Democratic Party is trying to completely eliminate these trials through dismissal of indictments.” He defined this as the ‘Lee Jae-myung Perfect Crime Project.’
Furthermore, he expressed concern, “The resumption of President Lee’s trials is not for political attacks or shortening his term, but to uphold judicial justice and constitutional order. As long as the trials remain suspended, attempts to shake the judicial system will continue.”
Rep. Kang announced, “Starting today, the People Power Party will begin a series of press conferences calling for the resumption of President Lee’s five trials. We will also conduct one-person pickets and signature campaigns in parallel.”
He demanded ▶Immediate resumption of President Lee’s five trials ▶Cessation of public agitation for dismissal of indictments ▶Special investigation into the decision not to appeal the Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town cases ▶Halt to legislation aimed at controlling the judiciary.
\”Press Conference Statement Demanding the Resumption of President Lee Jae-myung’s Five Trials\”
Respected citizens, I am Congressman Kang Myung-goo.
Recently, after the prosecution’s decision not to appeal the first trial verdict in the Wirye New Town development preferential treatment case, pro-Lee members of the Democratic Party began calling for the dismissal of indictments in President Lee’s trials, claiming they were \”fabricated charges.\”
They are planning nationwide relay press conferences and rallies to demand the dismissal of President Lee’s indictments. They’re even threatening to conduct a parliamentary investigation.
I stand here today with a solemn heart to strongly condemn the Democratic Party’s reckless public agitation for dismissal of indictments, which is disrupting the judicial system to save just one person, President Lee Jae-myung, and to demand the immediate resumption of President Lee’s five criminal trials.
Fellow citizens,
Last November, the prosecution suddenly decided not to appeal the first trial verdicts for accomplices in the Daejang-dong development corruption case.
Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho effectively urged the decision not to appeal by saying \”judge carefully,\” and Vice Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo reportedly presented three options to the prosecution, but ultimately forced the decision not to appeal.
Acting Prosecutor General Noh Man-seok, who succumbed to pressure from the administration, resigned, while Park Cheol-woo, who led the decision not to appeal, was promoted to head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.
Prosecutors who signed a statement demanding an explanation for the decision not to appeal were largely demoted, while Kim Tae-hoon, who did not sign the statement, was promoted to head of the Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office.
Where did this absurd ‘march of injustice’ fundamentally begin, where prosecutors who fell out of favor with the administration were pushed aside, while those who pledged loyalty to the administration advanced? It started with the Daejang-dong trial of President Lee Jae-myung, the apex of the Daejang-dong development corruption.
On the 4th, the prosecution even decided not to appeal the first trial’s not guilty verdict in the Wirye New Town development preferential treatment case, often called the \”twin\” or \”dress rehearsal\” of the Daejang-dong case.
This led President Lee to directly claim on social media that this case was a fabricated indictment, saying, \”They tried to implicate me in a case that legally couldn’t stand.\”
Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae called the Wirye New Town case \”targeted investigation and fabricated indictment,\” claiming it \”clearly shows why we need a law against distortion of the law.\”
Other Democratic Party members also began echoing claims of \”fabricated indictment\” and calling for \”dismissal of indictments.\”
Where did this absurd march of injustice begin? It started with President Lee Jae-myung’s trial, the apex of the Wirye New Town development preferential treatment case.
Respected citizens,
There is another trial of President Lee Jae-myung, the North Korea remittance case.
In this case, Lee Hwa-young, a former vice governor and accomplice in President Lee’s North Korea remittance, has already received a final guilty verdict of 7 years and 8 months from the Supreme Court.
The Democratic Party has continuously raised unfounded allegations of witness coercion through a \”salmon and alcohol party\” during the investigation of President Lee’s North Korea remittance case, and the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office conducted a predetermined investigation that seemed to play along.
The Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office reached a tentative conclusion that \”soju was brought in\” through a forced, patchwork investigation, but found no evidence that Lee Hwa-young actually drank alcohol in the interrogation room, that prosecutor Park Sang-yong allowed alcohol to be brought in, or that he offered alcohol while persuading Lee to change his testimony.
Are they suggesting that Lee Hwa-young received a guilty verdict from the Supreme Court because the prosecution coerced false testimony through a \”salmon and alcohol party\”?
Are they implying that the judges in Korea’s first, second, and third trials are that incompetent?
Nevertheless, the Democratic Party continues to mislead the public by presenting the \”salmon and alcohol party\” as fact and shamelessly spreading false propaganda that the North Korea remittance case is a fabricated indictment by the prosecution.
Seo Hyun-wook, the chief prosecutor who led the investigation into the North Korea remittance case, was demoted to a less important position and eventually left the prosecution.
When someone who had provided unfavorable defense for President Lee in the North Korea remittance case was recommended as a special prosecutor, President Lee strongly criticized the Democratic Party.
Where did this absurd march of injustice begin? It started with President Lee Jae-myung’s trial, the apex of the illegal 8 million USD (approximately 10.67 billion KRW) remittance to North Korea.
Respected citizens,
The decision not to appeal in the Daejang-dong case, the decision not to appeal in the Wirye New Town case, the propaganda about fabricated indictments in the North Korea remittance case, the introduction of a law against distortion of the law, the increase in Supreme Court justices, the push for a \”fourth trial\” system, the discussion on completely abolishing the crime of breach of trust, and so on…
All sorts of unprecedented and outlandish events are occurring under the Lee Jae-myung administration.
While these incidents may seem unrelated, when you put all the puzzle pieces together, a single pattern emerges.
It is an attempt to completely erase all five criminal trials of President Lee Jae-myung.
The five trials President Lee is facing are currently paused. They are temporarily suspended due to the political judgment of the respective courts, but they can be resumed at any time if the presiding judge changes and makes a new decision.
Moreover, these trials are destined to resume immediately the moment President Lee’s term ends.
Among the five trials, the Public Official Election Act case has been remanded by the Supreme Court with a guilty opinion, and the perjury instigation case received an absurd not guilty verdict in the first trial and has moved to the second trial.
The remaining three trials have not yet received first trial verdicts.
The Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, Wirye New Town, and Seongnam FC cases are bundled into one trial, while the North Korea remittance case and the Gyeonggi-do corporate card misuse case are awaiting first trial verdicts.
President Lee and the Democratic Party are trying to completely eliminate these three trials, which have not yet received first trial verdicts, through dismissal of indictments.
They’re not just trying to temporarily suspend the trials during the President’s term, but to completely eliminate them through dismissal of indictments. In short, this is the ‘Lee Jae-myung Perfect Crime Project.’
Respected citizens,
At the root of the ‘Lee Jae-myung Perfect Crime Project’ are the five trials that President Lee should face.
That’s why President Lee’s five trials must be resumed.
This is not to inflict political damage on President Lee, nor to shorten his term. It is solely to uphold judicial justice and constitutional order.
As long as President Lee’s five trials remain suspended, the Lee administration and the Democratic Party will continue their reckless attempts to completely eliminate the trials by shaking the nation’s judicial system and legal order.
The damage this will inflict on South Korea’s investigative agencies, judicial system, and legal framework will reach an irreparable level.
Creating laws to support an individual’s interests is called ‘tailor-made legislation.’
The 22nd National Assembly is full of ‘tailor-made legislation’ for President Lee Jae-myung alone, and South Korea’s judicial system is becoming tattered due to ‘Lee Jae-myung tailor-made legislation.’
The prosecution and special prosecutors are forgoing appeals in trials of President Lee and the Democratic Party, while persistently appealing trials of former administration and opposition figures.
Under the unfair investigative and indictment blade of ‘ruling party innocent, opposition party guilty,’ the justification and necessity of prosecutorial reform that the Lee administration has been shouting about have long since faded.
Even the judiciary, which should correct all these wrongs and uphold justice, is taking an unfair path under the Lee administration’s project to control the judiciary.
After taking control of the prosecution and judiciary, they are using legislative power to overturn the nation’s legal system, while mobilizing pro-government media and YouTube to mislead public opinion with claims of \”fabricated indictments\” and \”excessive indictments.\”
It’s not fabricated indictments, but the Democratic Party’s deception of the people. It’s not excessive indictments, but the Democratic Party’s low-level public agitation.
Fellow citizens,
The only way to protect South Korea’s justice, fairness, law, separation of powers, and constitutional values is to resume President Lee Jae-myung’s five trials.
Starting with me today, People Power Party lawmakers will begin a series of press conferences calling for the resumption of President Lee’s five trials.
And I will conduct one-person pickets and signature campaigns in my district.
We demand the following:
One, immediately resume President Lee Jae-myung’s five trials!
One, Democratic
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