[檢, 이재명 선거법 징역2년 구형]
Wild: “Coup d’état that shakes the rule of law”… Wary of possibility of Supreme Court ruling before presidential election
With “Based solely on facts and legal principles… Expecting a swift and wise decision from the court”
The Democratic Party of Korea protested the prosecution’s request for a two-year prison sentence on the 20th for Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was brought to trial on charges of making false statements during the last presidential election, saying, “This is an absurd request by the political prosecution that manipulated the case.” Within the party, there was a sense of bewilderment that “the prosecution requested a much stronger prison sentence than expected,” as well as tension that this would reignite Lee’s judicial risk. However, the prevailing view, both within the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction and the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction, is that “since it is still in the request stage, it will be difficult to immediately affect Lee’s leadership.”
The Democratic Party’s Committee for Countermeasures against Prosecution Dictatorship held a press conference at the National Assembly immediately after the prosecution’s request for sentencing and claimed, “The prosecution literally ‘hunted’ Representative Lee with unimaginable unfair and illegal investigations, as well as bizarre words and logic, including forced indictments, manipulation of statements, changes to the indictment, infringement on the right to defense, and violation of the duty of objectivity.” They went on to say, “After conducting all kinds of illegal and unfair investigations, they shamelessly requested such an outrageous sentence.” They defined the prosecution’s request for sentencing as “a coup d’état that shakes the foundations of democracy and the rule of law,” and said, “The prosecution itself is declaring itself to be a social weapon and a cancerous presence.” They also said that they would consider filing a complaint against the prosecution for its suspicions of case manipulation at the committee level.
In response, the People Power Party said, “The implementation of judicial justice is the right thing to do,” and began pressuring the court. Spokesperson Kim Yeon-ju said, “In an election, which is the flower of democracy, if there is a suspicion of a crime, it is only natural that it should be corrected through the judgment of the law,” and “From now on, the judiciary should quickly reach a conclusion based solely on evidence, facts, and legal principles.” Shin Dong-wook, the same party’s chief floor spokesperson, also said, “Justice delayed is not justice,” and “We expect a swift and wise judgment from the court.”
Following the final hearing on this day, the first trial verdict, the final hearing of the false testimony suspicion case, etc., there are concerns in the opposition party that Representative Lee’s judicial risk may resurface. If the judiciary’s judgment on various suspicions surrounding Representative Lee raised since the last presidential election becomes visible, the People Power Party, whose approval ratings for the president and the ruling party are both falling, may try to turn the situation around by highlighting Representative Lee’s judicial risk. Depending on the severity of the sentencing, the Supreme Court’s ruling may affect Representative Lee’s status as a presidential candidate.
Amid concerns within the party that the Supreme Court may make a final ruling before the presidential election, a key member of the pro-Myung faction drew a line, saying, “Since there are sentencing standards, judges will not simply follow the prosecution’s show-off request for sentencing.” A senior member of the pro-Myung faction said, “The support base will rather rally together,” and, “If the trial results in a not guilty verdict or a much lighter verdict than the prosecution’s request for sentencing, public backlash against the prosecution’s ‘political retaliation’ will spread, and as a result, this could be an opportunity for Lee’s approval rating to rise.” A member of the non-Myung faction said, “Since the request for sentencing is harsher than expected, we will have to wait and see the ruling,” but added, “It will be difficult to influence Lee’s popularity as the opposition’s next presidential candidate right away.”
Reporter Kim Ji-hyun [email protected]
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2024-09-21 09:46:26