Daejangdong Ruling Sparks Calls for Apology, Indictment Withdrawal - Democratic Party Declares Lee “Clearly Innocent”
SEOUL, November 1, 2025 – A recent court ruling in the Daejangdong development case has ignited a firestorm of reaction, with members of the Democratic Party demanding a public apology and the immediate withdrawal of charges against President Lee. They claim the indictment was a politically motivated fabrication orchestrated by prosecutors aligned with the previous administration.
Following the first trial ruling, Supreme Council member Han Jun-ho, chairman of the special committee, questioned how authorities could pursue a case against someone “who had nothing to do with this case,” rebuffing what he characterized as the People Power Party’s “futile fuss.”
Supreme Council member Jeon Hyun-hee echoed this sentiment on Facebook, stating the ruling “confirms that President Lee, Kim Yong, and Jeong Jin-sang are victims of manipulation by political prosecutors, and they are clearly innocent.” She called for the prosecution to apologize and “instantly drop the indictment.”
Rep. Jo Gye-won also took to Facebook, alleging the prosecution “demonized President Lee and stole the 21st presidential election by 0.7%,” and predicting the unraveling of other investigations, including those concerning remittances to North Korea and the Seongnam FC breach of trust case, as similarly “unreasonable planned and manipulated.”
The Democratic Party addressed concerns raised by the People Power Party regarding potential efforts to secure leniency for President Lee while simultaneously advocating for the abolition of the breach of trust crime. A Supreme Council member stated the two issues “need to be considered carefully, rather than lumping the two together.”
Rep. Lee Geon-tae, vice-chairman of the special committee, explained the ambiguity surrounding arrest requirements for breach of trust, noting even criminal lawyers are “very confused as to whether it is a crime or not,” and that abolition of the crime has been debated within the legal profession.
The ruling has also fueled momentum behind the proposed “Trial Suspension Act” (Amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act), which would suspend criminal trials of the incumbent president. This comes as the court recently acknowledged the “theoretical possibility” of remanding President Lee’s decision to quash the Public Official Election Act,prompting the opposition party to push for the resumption of trials related to his case.
Senior Spokesperson Park Soo-hyun declared on Facebook that the Daejangdong first trial ruling, finding Lee Jae-myung not guilty, makes the trial suspension law a “National Intelligence Protection Act.”
The case continues to develop as the prosecution weighs its response to the court’s decision and the escalating demands from the Democratic Party.
mskwak@yna.co.kr
