Trial Started for Lee Jae-myung, Indicates Direct Response to Judicial Risks... "Why We Must Prepare for Fabricated Investigations"

Allegations of Manipulation Investigation Raised via Twitter
First Statement After Entering Leadership
An Minseok "Will Be Innocent, Party Must Stand Up"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The first trial of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, began on the 18th. Lee directly confronted the prosecution's investigation surrounding him, calling it a "fabricated investigation."

On the morning of the same day, Lee shared a related article on his Twitter, stating, "After years of investigation, 'nonexistent testimonies' have started to appear. This is why we must prepare for the 'Lee Jae-myung fabricated investigation'." The article claimed that regarding the 'Seongnam FC case,' the police under the current administration had reversed their stance, saying they had secured 'new testimonies.'

This is the first time Lee has expressed his position on the investigation situation since joining the party leadership. Until now, Lee has responded to reporters' questions about judicial risks with silence.

His remarks appear to be in anticipation of his first preparatory hearing held in the morning at the Seoul Central District Court, Criminal Division 34 (Presiding Judge Kang Gyu-tae). Lee is accused of publicly spreading false information related to the late Kim Moon-gi, former head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, and the Baekhyeon-dong development during his time as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.

If convicted and sentenced to imprisonment or fined more than 1 million won, Lee will lose his eligibility to run for office for five years, resulting in the loss of his parliamentary seat and making it difficult to run in the next presidential election.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Within the party, voices defending him have emerged. On the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Min-seok responded "Yes" to a radio question asking if he believed Lee would be acquitted. He explained, "Recently, I asked Lee if he knew Kim, and I said, 'Can a lawmaker accurately remember someone they met years ago?'" Ahn added, "Lee is willing to bear various judicial risks himself," and said, "While he sincerely participates in the trial, the party must clearly stand against this."

The party leadership has taken the stance of focusing on livelihood policies and waiting to see the trial results. On the same morning, Lee held a meeting with small and medium-sized business owners to urge the legislation of the delivery price linkage system. Senior spokesperson Ahn Ho-young emphasized a 'two-track' strategy of livelihood and judicial response in a phone interview, saying, "We will continue to promote livelihood policies during the National Assembly audit period."

The offensive between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to intensify starting from the first trial day. On the morning of the same day, the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee began audits of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, which are conducting investigations into Lee, while the Public Administration and Security Committee started an audit of Gyeonggi Province.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.