President Lee Orders System Overhaul to Restrict Prosecutors' Automatic Appeals in Not-Guilty Cases

"Despite Not-Guilty Verdicts by First Trial Judges, Prosecutors' Appeals Cause Public Suffering"
President Lee Orders Justice Minister Jeong Sungho: "Why Has This Been Left Unaddressed? The System Must Be Fixed"

On September 30, President Lee Jaemyung ordered a revision of the system to restrict prosecutors from appealing cases in which a not-guilty verdict was reached in the first trial. He pointed out that even when three judges in the first trial clearly found the defendant not guilty, prosecutors still file appeals, causing unnecessary suffering for the public.

Yonhap News

Presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan presidential office that day, President Lee stated, "The fundamental principle of criminal procedure law is that it is better to let ten criminals go than to wrongfully convict one innocent person." He added, "We should not cause suffering to an entire community just to catch a thief." He further criticized, "Prosecutors file charges and inflict suffering if they suspect guilt, but show leniency to their allies, undermining fundamental principles."

President Lee also criticized, "People are wrongfully indicted, endure years of painful trials, and are finally acquitted, only for prosecutors to appeal for no reason. By the time the case reaches the Supreme Court, enormous amounts of money have been spent, and even if acquitted in the end, families are ruined." He continued, "Wasn't this something former President Yoon Sukyeol also said?" and questioned, "Is it reasonable for three judges in the appellate court to overturn the not-guilty verdict of three judges in the first trial and convict the defendant instead?"

President Lee strongly rebuked Minister of Justice Jeong Sungho, saying, "Aren't there many countries where appeals against not-guilty verdicts are not allowed?" and added, "Should people's lives be ruined and their entire assets lost because of trials?" In his conversation with Minister Jeong, President Lee remarked, "Prosecutors try to shield themselves from responsibility by indicting cases that don't hold up and then seeking acquittals. Isn't this causing suffering to the public? Why has this been left unaddressed?" He then instructed, "The system needs to be revised."

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