(Seoul = News 1) Reporter Song Sang-hyeon and Koo Jin-wook = The ruling and opposition parties continued their war of nerves on the 16th, the day after Lee Jae-myeong, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was sentenced to loss of his seat as a member of the National Assembly in the first trial on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act.
The People Power Party emphasized that the Democratic Party’s holding an off-site rally on this day could have an adverse effect on the ruling in the future by putting pressure on the judge in charge.
Han Dong-hoon, representative of the People Power Party, said on his Facebook page that the Democratic Party of Korea is holding its third off-site rally, “A criminal defendant’s intimidation of the judge in charge is the worst reason for aggravating the sentence, beyond the simple lack of reflection.” He said, “The worst sentencing grounds for threatening the judge in charge are piling up on the representative side.”
Representative Han mentioned the dismissal of Representative Lee’s arrest warrant in September of last year in relation to the case of allegedly instigating perjury, and said, “Even in the controversial decision to dismiss the arrest warrant, it was said that instigation of perjury was recognized. Therefore, many citizens will also believe that Representative Lee’s instigation of perjury is ‘ “You would expect him to be found guilty,” he wrote.
Kim Ki-hyeon, a former party leader and People Power Party lawmaker, also said on his Facebook page, “I am trying to act as a bodyguard by continuing to encourage bulletproof rallies to protect my ‘father’ Lee Jae-myeong, but that is the path to digging my own grave and will lead to self-destruction.” He said.
He added, “The evil deeds of the idiotic sword dance, which turned the political party into a sadistic party for the sake of Lee Jae-myung’s bulletproof and abused the National Assembly as a means of intimidating the judiciary, would have ultimately served as an aggravating factor in the defendant’s sentencing.”
Spokesperson Kim Hye-ran also commented on the day, saying, “Today is the day when students who took the college entrance exam two days ago take the college entrance essay test,” and added, “We are preparing for the college entrance exam of our children who will lead the future of Korea through large-scale outdoor rallies and marches to protect one criminal.” “It interferes with this,” he said.
The Democratic Party defined this ruling as a political ruling in sympathy with the Yoon Seok-yeol government and focused on voicing criticism.
Spokesperson Han Min-soo said in a briefing that day, regarding Representative Lee’s conviction for violating the Public Official Election Act, “With the first trial ruling, the purpose of ‘killing the president’s political opponents’, which the Yoon Seok-yeol administration has been all-in on throughout half of its term, has become clearer,” and “The president has gone all-in on killing his political opponents.” “We cannot go against public sentiment with political rulings that agree with this,” he said.
A spokesperson continued, “People Power Party lawmakers with legal backgrounds also predicted a fine of less than 1 million won,” and condemned, “Has there ever been a regime that sought to so ruthlessly eliminate an opponent who lost in the presidential election after democratization in 1987?”
On this day, the Democratic Party protested against Representative Lee’s conviction and held an emergency joint meeting of national regional committee chairs and members of the National Assembly.
At this event, floor leader Park Chan-dae said, “Yesterday’s ruling can be summed up in one word: punishing memories and punishing emotions.” He added, “The dark history of the judiciary that made political rulings has been born. No matter how much we try to end Representative Lee’s political life, Lee Jae-myung will never die,” he emphasized.
In the subsequent condemnation speech, Chief Spokesperson Cho Seung-rae said, “Even though the entire nation heard of the President’s illegal intervention in nominations and saw the first lady’s bribery video, the political prosecutors are ‘innocent by authority, guilty by non-authority’ who turn a blind eye to the overwhelming physical evidence of state corruption. “Judicial justice has collapsed due to his actions,” he said, adding, “Even if we do our best to kill Representative Lee Jae-myung, Representative Lee Jae-myung will not fall.”
