Democrats, Lee Jae-myung's Warrant Hearing D-1 "Arrest Warrant Must Be Dismissed"

"Lee, Not Grounds for Detention"

On the 25th, a day before Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, faces a warrant hearing, the court was pressured to reject the warrant in response to the 'political prosecution' investigation.

The Democratic Party's Committee for Countermeasures Against Prosecutorial Dictatorship and Political Oppression issued a press release that afternoon, stating, "The outrageous arrest warrant by the political prosecution must be dismissed."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The committee said, "Tomorrow, Lee Jae-myung will undergo a warrant hearing at the court," adding, "This warrant request will remain a historic example showing how outrageous the prosecutorial dictatorship regime is." The committee emphasized, "Arrest is made only when there is substantial reason to suspect the suspect has committed a crime, and when the suspect has a fixed residence or not, there is a concern of evidence destruction, or a risk of flight. The decision also considers the seriousness of the crime, risk of recidivism, and concerns for victims and important witnesses. Lee Jae-myung does not meet any of these grounds for arrest."

They continued, "Over the past year and a half, the prosecution mobilized dozens of prosecutors and hundreds of investigators, conducting over 400 search and seizure operations, thoroughly investigating Lee Jae-myung and his associates, but has failed to present proper evidence," adding, "Although they repeatedly leaked suspect facts and official secrets as if it were routine, claiming to have secured sufficient evidence, only contradictory testimonies from suspects have been presented."

They also stated, "There is no evidence for the charges of illegal remittance to North Korea." The committee said, "Despite abundant contradictory evidence and circumstances, former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Sung-tae has not been able to provide any grounds or motive to support the claim that he paid for the North Korea visit expenses. Perhaps lacking confidence in the warrant request based solely on the Baekhyun-dong and illegal remittance charges, the prosecution even added the absurd charge of 'subornation of perjury.' This too is merely an allegation by a specific individual without any basis."

The committee pointed out, "The prosecution, ignoring the principles of non-custodial investigation and presumption of innocence, intends to arrest the leader of the main opposition party based solely on their imagination and wishes," adding, "As with the Daejang-dong case, once the trial begins, the false claims by the prosecution will be exposed, so they are trying to brand him a criminal by requesting an arrest warrant first." They criticized, "If the goal was truly a swift investigation, the prosecution would have chosen to request the warrant during the non-session period without parliamentary voting procedures, but they refused. The goal was political manipulation, not fact-finding."

The committee stated, "The judiciary must stop the prosecution's rampage, which abuses the authority granted by the people to interfere in politics, shake the constitutional order, trample the legislature, and destroy the separation of powers," and added, "We await the wise judgment of the judiciary, the last bastion protecting the rule of law and democracy."

At the Supreme Council meeting that day, top council members also made remarks pressuring the judiciary. Go Min-jung, a top council member, said, "The political investigation by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration aimed at eliminating the main opposition party is a public opinion-driven investigation, severely infringing on the right to defense. We expect the judiciary's judgment to guarantee the right to defense." She added, "The Democratic Party's role is crucial to stop the reckless regression of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, which is damaging the foundation of democracy built by the people's hard work," and said, "I hope the leader will not be arrested at such a time, causing the opposition party's operations to be suspended." She also mentioned, "Despite unprecedented large-scale investigations and numerous prosecution-related suspicious reports, no crimes have been proven so far," and noted, "Considering the two-year period, the record number of prosecutors, and the number of search and seizure operations, there is no risk of flight or evidence destruction."

Park Chan-dae, another top council member, emphasized, "We expect the judiciary to put a stop to the judicial destruction by the political prosecution," adding, "Our constitution clearly states the presumption of innocence, and the Criminal Procedure Act includes the principle of non-custodial investigation. Whether to detain is decided based on the acknowledgment of charges, and the possibility of evidence destruction or flight, which is common sense and principle." He said, "The charges the prosecution presents are groundless, and there is no concern about evidence destruction or flight."

Seo Young-kyo, also a top council member, said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration barely won by a 0.73% margin and has started to annihilate the opposition party," adding, "We expect the court to make a wise judgment, fully considering that there is no risk of evidence destruction or flight, the right to defense is necessary, and the main opposition party's schedule must be maintained."

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