08-04-2025
Another trial for DP leader kicks off ahead of imminent presidential bid
The first hearing in a criminal trial on Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chair of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, was held at the Suwon District Court on Tuesday, ahead of what is likely Lee's imminent declaration of a presidential bid.
Lee, widely considered the clear frontrunner in the upcoming presidential race, is charged with misappropriating funds during his tenure as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, including the alleged misuse of corporate credit cards for personal benefit, from 2018 to 2021.
The trial kicked off five months after Lee was indicted without detention in November, 2024.
Lee was accused of using an official vehicle belonging to the province for personal use and spending a total of 106.5 million won ($72,399) in public money for private use.
The Suwon District Prosecutors Office alleged that Lee used provincial government funds through corporate cards for his personal laundry services, breakfast sandwiches, fruit for his family memorial services and other purchases.
The prosecution claimed it had found evidence against Lee's wife, who was also accused of misusing 8.89 million won in provincial government funds through corporate cards. But it decided to suspend the indictment against her in consideration of her limited involvement in the alleged crimes.
Lee did not appear before the court as defendants are not obligated to attend pretrial hearings, but he did appear at the Seoul Central District Court for a hearing in a separate trial on charges of bribery stemming from his time as the mayor of Seongnam.
Yet another trial is scheduled to begin for the opposition leader on April 23 on charges of violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act and engaging in third-party bribery.
Lee was previously accused of being involved in illegal remittances to North Korea by local underwear manufacturer Ssangbangwool in 2019 when he was serving as governor of Gyeonggi Province.
The opposition leader 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.
Though Lee was indicted in June 2024, legal procedures for the trial having been suspended as he filed a request to have the judge recused.
Lee's lawyers claimed that the judge handed down prison terms to the former Gyeonggi Province's vice governor over violations related to the North Korean remittance case, making the judge prejudiced against Lee, but the court dismissed the request in mid-March.
South Korea's Criminal Procedure Act stipulates that a defendant may request the recusal of a judge if there is concern that the judge will conduct an unfair trial.
