25.06.09.Today News : President Lee Jae-myung’s Trial Effectively Halted During Term / Petition to Expel Lee Jun-seok Surpasses 430,000 Signatures
1. President Lee Jae-myung’s Trial Effectively Halted During Term
- Retrial on Election Law Violation Postponed Indefinitely; Court Cites Constitutional Immunity from Prosecution for Sitting President
President Lee Jae-myung’s retrial on election law violations has been postponed indefinitely, effectively halting the case for the duration of his presidency. The court ruled that the constitutional immunity granted to a sitting president includes ongoing criminal trials.
The appellate trial concerning President Lee Jae-myung’s alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act has been postponed indefinitely, effectively suspending judicial proceedings for the duration of his presidency. This decision is based on the court’s interpretation that Article 84 of the Constitution—which stipulates that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted except for insurrection or treason—applies not only to indictment and investigation but also to ongoing criminal trials.
On June 9, the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 7 initially scheduled a hearing for June 18 in the retrial of President Lee’s case, which had been remanded by the Supreme Court. However, the court later changed the schedule to “to be determined,” essentially placing the trial on hold indefinitely. The court cited Article 84 of the Constitution, which has traditionally been interpreted to protect presidents only from prosecution, but has now been extended to encompass courtroom proceedings.
This interpretation is significant, as there had been long-standing legal ambiguity about whether “prosecution” included only indictment or extended to active trials. With this ruling, the court has effectively opened the door for a sitting president to be exempt from participating in criminal trials, thereby strengthening the legal shield provided to incumbents.
President Lee is a defendant in four other ongoing criminal trials. These include alleged perjury in the prosecutor impersonation case, multiple corruption and breach of duty charges related to real estate projects such as Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong, the alleged illegal remittance to North Korea via the Ssangbangwool Group, and the misuse of public funds for personal purposes. Each case involves serious allegations, making their legal outcomes politically significant.
The court’s decision has sparked a sharp political divide. The Democratic Party welcomed the ruling, asserting that the Constitution should be consistently interpreted. The party is also pushing to pass a bill that would automatically suspend all criminal trials against a president-elect, set to be voted on during the National Assembly’s plenary session on June 12. Representative Cho Seung-rae stated that legislative reinforcement is necessary to avoid inconsistent application by different judges.
Meanwhile, the People Power Party strongly opposed the decision. Interim leader Kim Yong-tae criticized it as a revival of “imperial presidential privileges,” claiming that it effectively halts accountability. Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon also expressed concern that judicial independence was being compromised in favor of the sitting administration, calling the decision a “disgrace in constitutional history.”
This ruling is more than a simple rescheduling—it marks a fundamental shift in how constitutional protections for the president are interpreted within the legal system. Similar interpretations may follow in President Lee’s other cases, and all trials could be deferred until the end of his term. This situation is expected to reignite legislative debates over the limits of presidential immunity in South Korea’s legal framework.
One-line summary : President Lee Jae-myung’s election law trial has been indefinitely postponed based on presidential immunity, effectively halting proceedings during his term.
2. Petition to Expel Lee Jun-seok Surpasses 430,000 Signatures
- Misogynistic remarks spark second-most-supported petition in National Assembly history
A petition to expel Reform Party lawmaker Lee Joon-seok from the National Assembly over his degrading remarks about women has reached more than 430,000 signatures, the second most ever. The petition is an expression of public outrage over the inappropriateness of the remarks.
Controversy continues to mount over Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform Party, following his controversial remarks during a televised presidential debate that many criticized as describing physical violence against women in a sexualized context. The backlash has led to a massive public response, with over 430,000 people signing a National Assembly petition demanding his expulsion from parliament, making it the second most-supported petition in the system’s history.
The incident occurred during the third televised debate for the 21st presidential election held on May 27, where Lee used provocative language in criticizing a rival candidate. Petitioners condemned the comments as “unprecedented verbal sexual violence in Korean political history” and argued that such conduct was unbecoming of a public official.
In response to the growing criticism, Lee issued a public statement at the campaign's wrap-up event on June 5. He expressed regret, stating that he hadn’t anticipated such widespread discomfort and that, if given another chance, he would have chosen a different way to express his views. However, many critics remain unconvinced, arguing that his apology failed to address the underlying issue.
South Korea’s National Assembly petition system requires at least 50,000 signatures within 30 days for a petition to be formally reviewed. Lee’s petition far exceeded this threshold in a matter of days, setting the stage for parliamentary deliberation. While the issue will be discussed in a relevant committee, actual expulsion is considered unlikely. Under Article 64, Paragraph 3 of the Constitution, expelling a lawmaker requires a two-thirds majority vote in the National Assembly—a politically challenging hurdle.
Historically, there has been only one expulsion of a National Assembly member: in 1979, former New Democratic Party leader Kim Young-sam was expelled during the Park Chung-hee administration. No lawmaker has been expelled through a public petition. Thus, the petition’s symbolic weight is more about conveying public outrage than expecting a direct outcome.
The most supported petition to date remains the June 2023 proposal for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment, which gathered over 1.43 million signatures. This surge in civic engagement via digital platforms reflects a growing trend of public influence over political accountability, and lawmakers are under increasing pressure to respond meaningfully to such demands.