Lee Jae-myung, the former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted a response to the prosecution's appeal on the 21st to the Supreme Court's third division, which is handling the public election law violation case. It is expected that the Supreme Court will assign the presiding Supreme Court Justice as early as the 22nd and begin full-scale hearings.
According to the legal community, the former leader submitted his response on the final day of the ten-day submission deadline. He also newly appointed Lee Jae-hee, the former Director General of the Seoul High Court who retired last February, as his attorney.
Previously, the prosecution appealed the not guilty verdict from the second trial in Lee's election law violation case and submitted an appeal reason to the Supreme Court on the 10th. Lee's side received the prosecution's appeal reasons on the 11th and 14th, respectively, through in-person delivery and mail.
The Supreme Court will assign the presiding Supreme Court Justice and commence the formal hearings once the submission deadline ends. The presiding assignment may be made as early as the 22nd.
Lee is facing trial for violating election laws by making false statements related to the preferential treatment allegations regarding the late Kim Moon-gi, head of the first development department of the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, and the change of use of the site for the Korea Food Research Institute in Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam, when he was the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in 2021. The first trial court sentenced him to a suspended prison term, but the appeals court found Lee not guilty on the 26th of last month.