S.Korean court postpones President Lee's trial, citing constitutional immunity
A high court in South Korea has said it will postpone the retrial of President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law.
Local media have reported that it is very unlikely the retrial will go ahead while Lee remains in power.
South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee's victory, that he had violated election law by making false statements during his failed 2022 presidential bid. It sent the case back to the Seoul High Court after overturning an earlier ruling clearing him.
The high court announced on Monday it will indefinitely postpone the first hearing, which was scheduled for June 18.
The court said the move was based on the Constitution, which basically exempts sitting presidents from criminal prosecution.
Legal experts are divided over whether a sitting president's immunity extends to trials already underway. Neither the Constitution nor the law address the matter.
But South Korean media have reported the high court appears to have decided to shield Lee from standing trial during his term.
Lee is facing other criminal trials that some say put him at judicial risk. The ruling Democratic Party is reportedly pushing for legal revisions that halt trials while Lee is in office.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
7 hours ago
- NHK
India woos foreign automakers to boost domestic EV production
India's government has unveiled a plan to woo foreign automakers to build electric vehicles there. India is the world's third-largest auto market. The government is offering to drastically cut import taxes for foreign automakers who pledge to set up EV factories in India. The deal is available to makers who invest around 500 million dollars or more in new plants. In return, they can import a limited number of their EVs at a 15 percent rate for five years. Currently, tariffs are upwards of 70 percent. The plan was originally aimed at attracting Tesla. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with its CEO, Elon Musk, earlier this year in Washington. But the EV giant did not sign on. The government wants electric vehicles to make up 30 percent of domestic car sales by 2030. EVs accounted for just 2.5 percent of total car sales in fiscal year 2024.
NHK
9 hours ago
- NHK
S.Korea's Lee, China's Xi talk on phone to affirm cooperation for APEC summit
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping have affirmed their close cooperation for a successful regional economic summit later this year. South Korea's presidential office says Lee and Xi spoke for about half an hour over the phone on Tuesday. Xi congratulated Lee on his election victory. Lee thanked Xi, and invited him to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held this year in South Korea. South Korean government officials say if Xi accepts the invitation, it will be his first visit to the country in 11 years. Lee asked China to play a constructive role toward peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and its denuclearization. Xi promised efforts to resolve issues on the peninsula. South Korea's public broadcaster KBS took note that before speaking with Xi, Lee spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru by phone on Monday. The broadcaster described this as a show of Lee's diplomatic policy, which underscores the three-way cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan. China's Foreign Ministry says Xi told Lee that the two countries should jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, and ensure stable global and regional supply chains. Xi sought to work with South Korea amid China's trade friction with the United States.
Japan Times
10 hours ago
- Japan Times
As election looms, Ishiba pledges ¥1 quadrillion GDP by 2040
Economic relief packages for present difficulties and economic goals for future prosperity are the strategies the ruling and opposition parties are employing ahead of the Upper House election next month, as they roll out their official campaign pledges. Financial aid to help households deal with the high cost of consumer prices, particularly those for rice and agricultural products, is a major part of each party's formal set of promises to voters who need help now. But Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party is also announcing an ambitious economic growth target for the distant future. 'We aim to achieve a nominal gross domestic product of ¥1 quadrillion ($6.9 trillion) by 2040 and I have instructed party executives to make increasing the average income by more than 50% from current levels by then as our party's first pledge in the upcoming Upper House election,' Ishiba announced Monday night. How, exactly, the LDP would achieve that was not made clear. The party plans to compile a more detailed policy platform next week. Japan's nominal gross domestic product in 2024 was ¥609.4 trillion, according to Cabinet data, while the average annual private sector salary in 2023 was ¥4.6 million, according to the National Tax Agency. To deal with present economic realities, the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, agreed Tuesday to include promises of cash payments in their respective Upper House campaign pledges, in response to recent consumer price increases. The exact amount each household would receive and under what conditions are yet to be determined, although the amount promised in the LDP's platform could be in the range of the tens of thousands of yen per person. Komeito, which has already announced its Upper House campaign pledges, is also promising to abolish the temporary gasoline tax rate of ¥25.1 per liter. It says the abolition date can be determined during year-end tax negotiations. In the meantime, Komeito supports a continuation of current subsidies to lower gasoline prices and expanding a tax-exempt limit for commuting allowances for employees who commute by private vehicle. The opposition parties are also gearing up for the Upper House race with a similar emphasis on pocketbook issues. Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan head Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday. | JIJI On Tuesday, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda announced his party's platform under a slogan of promising to protect voters from rising prices, especially those for daily necessities. 'We'll implement immediate measures in the form of a meal support grant to alleviate the burden of rising rice prices. A onetime payment of ¥20,000 per person, equivalent to half a year's worth of consumption tax on food items, will be provided. After that, we will implement a zero percent consumption tax on foodstuffs for one year and up to two years,' Noda said. The CDP is also promising a review of Japan's rice policy to bring prices down, while emphasizing the importance of protecting both rice farmers and consumers. In addition, Noda presented the party's plan for dealing with gasoline prices. 'Our aim is to abolish the provisional tax rate and achieve a reduction of ¥1,000 per 40 liters,' he said. Other parties are now finalizing their election strategies, including the exact wording of their campaign promises. The date of the Upper House poll has not yet been announced, although July 20 appears to be the most likely. The current session of parliament is slated to end on June 22.
