Legal clouds clear for Lee Jae-myung, with no ruling on horizon
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who stepped down as chair of the Democratic Party of Korea on Wednesday, is unlikely to be significantly affected by the ongoing legal cases against him during the upcoming presidential campaign and election period.
Lee currently faces five separate criminal trials tied to his terms as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province. However, the likelihood of Lee appearing in court during the election campaign remains low, minimizing the risk of public exposure tied to his criminal trials.
The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday announced it will hold two more hearings on May 13 and 27 to examine Lee's corruption charges related to allegations during his tenure as Seongnam's mayor in the mid-2010s.
Lee's legal representatives reportedly requested to reschedule the next court hearing, citing a possible election-related event.
The court told the lawyers to submit relevant documents to the court once the schedule is determined and get permission for Lee's absence if necessary.
A separate criminal trial also began at the Suwon District Court on Tuesday, in which Lee was accused of misappropriating funds during his tenure as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, including the alleged misuse of a corporate credit card for personal benefit, from 2018 to 2021.
The court has scheduled two additional pretrial hearings for April 29 and May 27 before commencing the first formal trial hearing. However, Lee is not required to attend, as defendants are not obligated to be present at pretrial sessions.
Though Lee was acquitted of perjury and subornation charges in November 2024, the prosecutors filed an appeal to review the case by a higher court.
This is not expected to be a major hurdle for Lee as the final hearing is scheduled on June 3, making the Seoul High Court deliver its final ruling in July at the earliest under South Korean law.
Lee's biggest legal challenge was also cleared in late March when the Seoul High Court overturned Lee's jail sentence on the charge of violating the Public Official Election Act.
The prosecution filed the appeal against the lower court ruling, which would lead to the loss of Lee's parliamentary seat if overturned.
But the legal circle believes that this is unlikely to affect Lee's presidential race for the time being, as the procedures prior to the opening of the trial at the top court, including the transfer of the case to the Supreme Court and submission of the documents for appeal, take about a month.
Under Article 270 of the Election Act, the Supreme Court is required to deliver a ruling within three months in cases involving election crimes — meaning a verdict is expected by late June in this instance, weeks after the presidential election takes place on June 3.
Another trial on charges of alleged involvement in unlawful money transfers to North Korea has yet to begin in the Suwon District Court, as that court will convene a preparatory hearing on April 23.
Lee is suspected of asking Ssangbangwool to transfer $8 million to finance a smart farming project in North Korea and to bear the potential cost of Lee's visit to North Korea in return for providing assistance for the company's North Korea-related projects, according to the prosecution.
Unauthorized money transfers to North Korea are regarded as a breach of the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act under South Korean law.
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