“President Lee Pokes His Own Eye… Chosun Ilbo, March 21: ‘Yet Another Trial-Delay Tactic by Lee Jae-myung?’”

[Choice Times=Seollae Kim, Staff Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung on the 26th ordered an inspection of the prosecutors who collectively walked out during the trial of former Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young. He reportedly said, “The part where prosecutors delayed the trial by collectively leaving the courtroom fails to show proper respect for the court and the judiciary, and is an act that shakes the very foundation and values of the constitutional order.”

According to the presidential office, the reason was that this “trial delay” caused by the prosecutors’ collective exit demonstrated insufficient respect toward the court and the judiciary.

However, only eight months earlier, on March 21, the Chosun Ilbo published an article titled:
“Lee Jae-myung Again Using Trial-Delay Tactics?… Refuses to Receive Decision Rejecting Recusal Request Six Times.”

“It was confirmed on the 20th that the legal team of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is standing trial for the ‘Ssangbangwool illegal remittance to North Korea’ case, failed six times to receive the court’s notice of the decision to dismiss his request for recusal of the judges.”

“This trial has been halted since last December, when Lee submitted a recusal request claiming ‘concerns over unfair trial’ and asking for the replacement of all three judges of the 11th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court. The court issued a dismissal decision, but Lee’s side did not accept the notice. Some in the legal community say the trial cannot resume because Lee refuses to receive the decision.”

“Since Lee was indicted in June last year, not a single full trial session has been held for nine months.”

In other words, the president has effectively poked his own eye.

While prosecutors or defense attorneys walking out of a trial should ideally not happen, such a move is nonetheless a legally permissible form of protest against the court.

In August 2023, at the trial of former Gyeonggi Province Peace Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young, Lee’s defense attorney also got into a heated argument with the prosecutor and then walked out, shouting,“In 40 years, I’ve never experienced a trial like this.”

Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party, himself a former prosecutor, wrote on Facebook:
“The president cannot intervene in the proceedings of an individual trial.”
He added:
“Above all, directly intervening in the trial of former Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young — who is in a co-offender relationship with the president — is strictly prohibited. It is an abuse of authority.”

He continued:
“A prosecutor may walk out in protest if the court rejects a batch of evidentiary submissions. Such matters must be handled within the judicial domain. This is not something for the president to order an investigation or inspection of.”

#JudicialInterference #RuleOfLawCrisis #LeeJaeMyungTrial