Lee Jae-myung's First Trial on Daejang-dong on the 15th... Court Concerned About Attendance Due to Hunger Strike

The first trial regarding Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and his alleged preferential treatment in the development of Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town will be held on the 15th. It remains uncertain whether Lee, who recently began a hunger strike, will be able to appear in court.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Park Kwang-on, floor leader, are attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the hunger strike tent in front of the National Assembly main building on the 1st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 33 (Presiding Judge Kim Dong-hyun) held the sixth pretrial preparation session for Lee and Jeong Jin-sang, former Political Coordination Officer of the Democratic Party leader's office, on the 1st, announcing, "The pretrial preparation procedure is concluded, and the first trial date is set for September 15."

The court said, "I read in the news that Lee is on a hunger strike. Will he be able to attend on the 15th? That part is concerning."

In response, Lee's defense attorney said, "By September 15, Lee's health may not be good, so it is uncertain whether he can attend." The court then said, "If there are significant circumstances, we will consider postponing."

The court plans to proceed with statements from both sides and evidence examination procedures through this month, then merge the ongoing bribery trial of former officer Jeong, which is being conducted by the same court. After the merger, the court intends to conduct detailed questioning of key witnesses such as former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Director Yoo Dong-gyu, lawyer Nam Wook, and accountant Jeong Young-hak, dividing the issues by Wirye New Town, Daejang-dong, and Seongnam FC.

Lee was indicted on March 22 on charges including breach of trust under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes related to preferential treatment corruption in the development of Daejang-dong and Wirye New Town, allegations regarding Seongnam FC sponsorship funds, violations of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act, and the Anti-Corruption Act.

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