Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, failed to appear as a witness for the fifth time in the trial regarding the allegations of embezzlement against private contractors in the Daejang-dong case. The court announced that it would no longer summon Lee as a witness.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22 (presiding Judge Cho Hyung-woo) held the first trial of five private contractors involved in the Daejang-dong case, including Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, and former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Director Yoo Dong-kyu, on the 7th.
On this day, Lee was scheduled to be questioned as a witness, but the questioning could not take place due to his absence.
The court noted, "Lee has not shown up for the fifth time, and he filed an objection to the fine decision last Thursday," adding, "As a current member of the National Assembly, he has immunity from arrest, making it practically difficult to summon him with the Assembly's consent."
The court continued, "Imposing fines is not particularly useful, and since the case has been ongoing since 2021, it is unrealistic to continue the trial while focusing solely on the witness issue," stating, "We will not summon Lee Jae-myung anymore."
It then stated, "As Lee's side filed an objection regarding the fines, the fines have not been confirmed, so contempt cannot be pursued." According to the Criminal Procedure Act, a witness who fails to appear without a valid reason after being fined may be held for up to 7 days, but if an objection is filed against the fine, the fine is not confirmed.
Lee has been summoned as a witness a total of five times up to this day but has not appeared each time. Consequently, he was fined 3 million won on the 24th of last month and 5 million won on the 28th of last month. He submitted a written explanation for his absence on the 14th and 31st of last month but did not appear in court.
Following this, Lee's side submitted two objection applications to the court regarding the fine decision on the 4th.
Meanwhile, Kim Man-bae and other private contractors in the Daejang-dong case were indicted in 2021 for allegedly causing 489.5 billion won in damages to the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation by colluding with the city of Seongnam during Lee's time as mayor. Lee is also facing a separate trial at the Seoul Central District Court alongside Jeong Jin-sang, former head of the party's Political Affairs Coordination Office, for allegedly colluding with them to provide significant profits.