Main opposition leader faces increased legal pressure
Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung, center, enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, Seoul, Monday, to attend a trial on allegations of pressuring another person to lie under oath. Yonhap
Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung is facing increasing political pressure due to his own legal risk of conviction following a court ruling that sentenced his former confidant to a hefty prison term for an unauthorized remittance to North Korea.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is intensifying its political attacks on Lee, suspecting his involvement in the remittance case. Meanwhile, the DPK is attempting to counteract Lee’s legal troubles by leveraging its majority in the National Assembly to pass bills that could override the prosecution’s investigations.
"The crosshairs are now trained on DPK Chairman Lee, who held the position of governor of Gyeonggi Province at the time of the case," PPP spokesperson Rep. Kwak Kyu-taek said. Prosecutors "should ensure legal justice by conducting thorough and prompt investigations into the allegations surrounding Lee," Kwak added.
The comments came after the Suwon District Court's decision on Friday to sentence former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young to nine years and six months in prison. He was charged with colluding in the transfer of $8 million to North Korea between 2019 and 2020 by the underwear company Ssangbangwool Group. The court determined that $2 million of the funds directly flowed into the North's Workers’ Party of Korea.
Former Gyeonggi Province Vice Gov. Lee Hwa-young enters the Suwon Central District Court to attend his warrant review in this Sept. 27, 2022 photo. Newsis
Prosecutors believe the money was related to the DPK head’s plan to visit Pyongyang. Lee, who was the Gyeonggi Province governor at that time, announced his plan to visit North Korea through the provincial government in October 2018, and there was even progress in that endeavor in 2019. But Lee did not get to visit the North due to several reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic.
An arrest warrant related to this case was sought, but a separate local court dismissed it in September last year.
Reportedly, prosecutors awaited the outcome of the former vice governor’s trial, as a guilty verdict would substantiate key allegations against the DPK chairman.
If prosecutors indict the DPK chairman over the North Korea remittance case, Lee will be facing trials for four separate cases: the remittance case, a bribery case linked to land development scandals in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, a violation of the Public Official Election Act, and charges of pressuring another person to lie under oath, also known as subornation of perjury. Lee attended a trial on the subornation of perjury charge on Monday and is scheduled to appear in court for other charges on Tuesday and Friday.
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"The nine-and-a-half-year sentence for former Vice Gov. Lee clearly indicates that Chairman Lee is next," PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won wrote on Facebook. "The person who knows best that he is next in line is none other than Lee himself."
The PPP's former interim leader, Han Dong-hoon, also wrote on Facebook that "an ongoing criminal trial is not suspended even if the defendant becomes the president."
As the ruling party continues to press Lee, the DPK aims to resist by proposing a bill to initiate a special counsel probe into the remittance case.
DPK spokesperson Rep. Lee Hae-sik said Sunday, "We will respond with a special counsel probe bill to counter the prosecution, which seeks to manipulate the case."
Last week, a group of DPK lawmakers tabled the special counsel probe bill, which included the former vice governor's claim that prosecutors attempted to manipulate his testimonies to indict Lee. The spokesperson's comments are interpreted as the party's overall endorsement of the special counsel probe.
With the DPK holding 175 out of 300 seats in the Assembly, the party possesses the majority needed to pass a special counsel probe bill, which could include provisions favoring the DPK in the appointment process of a special counsel.
"The result of Friday's trial shows that the court dismissed objective evidence filed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and turned a blind eye to Ssangbangwool's stock manipulation allegations," DPK Rep. Jang Kyung-tae said Monday.
The DPK asserts that the remittance case constitutes criminal activity orchestrated by former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Sung-tae, who aimed to manipulate the company's stock prices through projects involving North Korea. The DPK backs its claim by citing an internal report from the NIS.
The DPK is also seeking to impeach prosecutors who investigated the remittance case if President Yoon Suk Yeol rejects the special counsel probe bill.
DPK Rep. Park Jie-won said in a radio interview with broadcaster SBS, Monday, "If the president vetoes the special counsel probe bill, we can table the bill again," adding that the party should consider impeaching prosecutors.
Meanwhile, the DPK chairman is refraining from commenting on the remittance case. During a DPK Supreme Council meeting on Monday, Lee urged the two Koreas to halt a chain of retaliatory actions, such as South Korea’s border loudspeaker broadcasts and North Korea’s trash balloon campaign but did not comment on the legal risks surrounding him.