The first trial of President Lee Jae-myung's 'Gyeonggi Province corporate card misuse allegations' has been indefinitely postponed. This marks the third postponement following the public election law violation retrial and the Daejang-dong trial.
On the 1st, the 11th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court (Director General Song Byeong-hoon) stated in the fourth preparatory hearing for the case involving President Lee and two others, Jeong and Bae, who are charged with breach of duty, that "Defendant Lee Jae-myung was elected President on June 3 and holds a position representing the state as the head of state," adding that "the court will schedule the next trial date at a later time to ensure that Lee Jae-myung focuses on his constitutional duties as president and guarantees continuity in state governance."
However, the court noted that it would proceed with the trial procedures for co-defendants Jeong and Bae as planned, stating, "If (the trial date) is postponed along with (the president), the trial could be held five years later, and there are many statements that are disputed, leading to concerns about the accuracy of witness memories and whether the substantive truth can be discovered."
President Lee is accused of using a corporate card for personal purposes with his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, during his tenure as the governor of Gyeonggi Province. According to prosecutors, President Lee is investigated for using the official vehicle of Gyeonggi Province personally and charging a total of 1.0653 billion won for his dining expenses, fruit costs, laundry fees, and more from July 2018 to October 2021.
The prosecution indicted President Lee and others without arrest last November, while deciding to suspend charges against Mrs. Kim. President Lee's camp denied all allegations, stating, "We have no connection to this case."
Meanwhile, the trial regarding President Lee's public election law violation retrial and the Daejang-dong case has been indefinitely postponed based on Article 84 of the Constitution. Article 84 states that 'the president shall not be subject to criminal prosecution during their term in office,' which establishes the privilege of non-prosecution. However, there has been controversy over the unclear scope of prosecution. During the presidential campaign, President Lee Jae-myung stated that "trials already in progress will be suspended during the presidential term." In contrast, there was strong counterargument in the legal community that "trials already in progress will continue even after the president is elected."