Handonghun Criticizes High Court's Retrial Delay: "Undermined Judicial Independence...A Major Stain in History"

"This Is Not a Provision Ordering Suspension of an Ongoing Criminal Trial"
"Other Panels Must Never Do This"

Handonghun, former leader of the People Power Party, criticized the decision by the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 7 (Presiding Judge Lee Jaegwon) to reschedule and designate for a later date the first trial hearing in the retrial of President Lee Jaemyung’s election law violation case, stating, “They have undermined the independence of the judiciary themselves,” and adding, “This will remain a major stain in the history of the judiciary of the Republic of Korea.”

On June 9, Handonghun posted on his Facebook account regarding the court’s explanation that the decision was “in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution,” saying, “This is not a provision that orders the suspension of a criminal trial that was already underway with the defendant’s status before the start of the presidential term, regardless of the performance of presidential duties.”

Handonghun, former leader of the People Power Party.

He emphasized that a fundamentally flawed decision that not only violates the Constitution but also undermines judicial independence must be corrected by every possible means. He continued, “Other panels handling President Lee’s cases must never do this,” warning, “If we fail to establish the principle that no one is above the Constitution, we will pass down a country with grave errors to future generations.”

The Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 7, which was in charge of President Lee’s retrial on the Public Official Election Act case, announced on this day that the hearing originally scheduled for the 18th would be designated for a later date.

The Seoul High Court explained that this was a measure in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution. Article 84 stipulates that “the President shall not be subject to criminal prosecution while in office except for cases of insurrection or treason.” The term “designation for a later date” refers to changing, postponing, or continuing a hearing without setting the next date, and in court practice, this is called “designation for a later date.”

Meanwhile, President Lee currently has a total of five cases pending. In addition to the election law violation case, an appeal trial for the perjury instigation case is ongoing at the Seoul High Court. At the Seoul Central District Court, trials are continuing for the Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, and Wirye New Town development corruption cases, as well as the Seongnam FC illegal sponsorship case. At the Suwon District Court, trials are ongoing for the Ssangbangwool remittance to North Korea case and the corporate credit card misuse case.

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