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

Published: 10 Jun. 2025, 08:58 Updated: 10 Jun. 2025, 17:28

Kim Ye-young, center, chair of the National Council of Judges, speaks during an extraordinary meeting of the council at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on May 26. [YONHAP]

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.

The controversy centers on 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.

Yonhap