Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, said on the 3rd that after Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea was retried with a guilty conviction by the Supreme Court regarding his violation of the Public Official Election Act, and as resistance against the judiciary emerged within the Democratic Party, this is a 'very dangerous and unconstitutional political act.'
On this day, the candidate stated on Facebook, 'The controversy surrounding Article 84 of the Constitution, specifically the president's immunity clause, is gradually amplifying due to the Public Official Election Act violation case surrounding candidate Lee Jae-myung.'
He explained, 'This controversy is by no means artificially created from the outside,' adding, 'It is the result of Lee Jae-myung facing various trials over the years, particularly a matter he brought upon himself due to the recent guilty conviction by the Supreme Court.'
He continued, 'Due to this ruling, the claim of “prosecutorial overreach” is becoming increasingly unconvincing,' and noted, 'With the country’s highest judicial body clearly acknowledging the dissemination of false facts, the grounds for evading legal responsibility are gone.'
Furthermore, he stated, 'In this situation, even if Lee Jae-myung runs for the presidency and is elected, there exists a risk of his election being invalidated or his position being lost immediately, leading to potential waste of election expenses amounting to hundreds of billions won, not to mention the national governance vacuum, severe political turmoil, and the risk of social division resembling a quasi-civil war.'
The candidate said, 'We have impeached a president who violated the Constitution and attempted a martial law coup, and now we want to elect a new president to take that position,' adding, 'But if we choose a candidate who again disregards the Constitution and evades their legal responsibilities in that important election, it would be a grave betrayal of constitutional order and democracy.'
He further pointed out, 'What is even more serious is that Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party of Korea are showing a tendency to threaten to paralyze the judiciary rather than address this legal controversy using proper legal means, and they are unashamedly casting doubt on the separation of powers.'
He explained, 'A responsible presidential candidate should, even now, officially inquire of the Supreme Court about the prompt progress of the trial and request the Constitutional Court to clarify the application and interpretation of Article 84 of the Constitution, making all legal issues transparently public before the citizens. This is a minimal responsibility as a candidate and an obligation to the people.'
The candidate noted, 'Nevertheless, if Lee Jae-myung continues to maintain silence and evade, it can only be evaluated as an irresponsible political act that seeks only power and ignores legal responsibility,' and added, 'The public has the right to know and to choose. Lee Jae-myung should no longer remain silent and should clarify his position at this moment.'