Swift trials are key to prevent a national crisis

The prosecution on Wednesday additionally indicted Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of a third-party bribery in Ssangbangwool (SBW) Group’s suspicious remittance of money to North Korea. The indictment came just five days after the Suwon District Court last week found former Vice Gyeonggi Governor Lee Hwa-young guilty of violating the National Security Act. With the additional indictment, the DP leader must undergo four trials simultaneously on top of three ongoing trials over his alleged reception of bribery and breach of trust in two development projects and the Seongnam city football club Lee once headed, as well as a trial on his alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act. If he is convicted in one of the cases, he cannot run for public office.

Lee’s charges are very serious. The bench judged that the $8 million transferred to North Korea by SBW Chair Kim Sung-tae constitutes a bribe to Lee for business favors. The former vice Gyeonggi governor claimed that the money had nothing to do with the province. But the judge linked the illegal remittance to the governor’s request for a visit to Pyongyang. If Lee Jae-myung is really involved in the remittance, the affair can escalate to an international scandal, as it is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea. Lee Jae-myung denied such accusations and accused the prosecution of “manipulating the case.” But the truth will be found in court.

The DP’s reaction to the court’s ruling is disappointing, as it is engrossed in protecting its boss without any sense of responsibility as a majority party. The DP’s submission of a special motion aimed at attacking the prosecution is sheer arrogance. The party’s idea of appointing a special prosecutor to punish the prosecution and rescue its leader went overboard. Some DP members even demand the impeachment of prosecutors who dealt with the case to neutralize the country’s normal legal procedures.

As the court bears an immense responsibility, it must hand down its rulings of the four trials fairly and swiftly. If the rulings are delayed, it can push the country into an unprecedented crisis. After Lee’s trials were protracted, debates over presidential immunity from crimes started.

The trials are an issue involving not only establishing justice for an individual but also affecting the candidacy of a presidential aspirant. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae stressed that the judiciary exists to quickly proceed trials. He must not allow any unnecessary procrastination of Lee’s trials, like what happened under the reign of his predecessor. We urge the DP leader to sincerely comply with his trials without any schemes to delay them.