South Korea: Judges to reconvene over controversial ruling in Lee's election law case

Seoul, June 9 South Korean judges from across the country will meet again this month to discuss the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court's ruling in President Lee Jae-myung's election law violation case, which was handed down during his presidential campaign, officials said Monday.

The National Council of Judges said the second extraordinary meeting will take place via video conference at 10 a.m. on June 30, two weeks after a previous meeting ended without an official statement.

Unlike the earlier session, which included both in-person and virtual participation, the upcoming session will be conducted entirely online, the council said.

Participants are expected to discuss the seven agenda items from the previous meeting, along with any new items to be raised during the session.

In the May 26 meeting, the council deliberated whether to issue a public statement expressing concern over judicial independence and public trust in the judiciary following the Supreme Court's decision in Lee's case. However, members chose to delay adopting a position, citing concerns that any statement could influence the June 3 presidential election, and to reconvene after the vote, Yonhap news agency reported.

The controversy stems from the Supreme Court's unusually swift decision earlier last month to overturn a lower court's acquittal of Lee and send the case back to the Seoul High Court for retrial. Lee had been accused of making false statements during the 2021 presidential campaign.

The Supreme Court cited errors in the lower court's acquittal of Lee, but Lee's Democratic Party denounced the ruling as election interference, as a guilty verdict could bar him from running in the race.

The council is made up of 126 delegates of judges at all levels of courts, and the attendance of a majority is required to open a meeting. Agenda items are approved with consent from the majority of attendees.

Earlier in the day, the Seoul High Court had again postponed President Lee's retrial on election law violation charges.

The court said the first hearing scheduled for June 18 was postponed to an undetermined future date in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution, which exempts a sitting President from criminal prosecution except in the case of insurrection or treason.

Lee was elected President on June 3 after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his botched imposition of martial law in December.

The Seoul High Court previously postponed the first hearing from May 15, citing the need to guarantee a "fair electioneering opportunity" to the then-presidential candidate Lee.

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