Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was summoned as a witness in the trial of the private developers of the Daejang-dong project on the 31st but did not appear again. Previously, Lee did not attend the trials on the 21st, 24th, and 28th, resulting in a total of 8 million won in fines. The court stated it would consider compulsory measures such as a warrant or detention against Lee.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22 (presided over by Director General Cho Hyung-woo) held the trial for Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu, former Seongnam Urban Development Corporation Planning Division head Yoo Dong-kyu, and attorney Nam Wook, who were indicted on charges including breach of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
The court had planned to conduct witness questioning for Lee that day; however, the trial ended in about 16 minutes due to his absence. Lee was summoned as a witness for four trials held on the 21st, 24th, 28th, and 31st but did not appear for any of them. Consequently, the court imposed fines on Lee twice.
That day, the court noted, "The questioning of Lee as a witness was originally scheduled, and I thought the most appropriate time would realistically be around this period, so we attempted to summon him, but the fines were ineffective," adding, "We are also considering other means of securing his attendance, including a warrant and detention."
Earlier, Lee's side reportedly submitted a reason for absence in the morning. The court stated, "The reason includes that he recently received a not guilty verdict." Earlier, the Seoul High Court overturned the first instance ruling and issued a not guilty verdict in Lee’s appeal trial regarding violations of the Public Official Election Act on the 26th. Additionally, the reason for his absence reportedly contained content stating, "Repeated indictments have severely hindered his party leadership and legislative activities," and "Lee himself has not even been indicted for bribery," and "After the state of emergency on December 3, urgent situations have unfolded and current issues must be handled constantly."
However, the court stated, "There is a necessity for witness questioning," and planned to proceed with the questioning of Lee as scheduled. The court remarked, "It is stated in the reason that there is no evidence suggesting his involvement in the bribery aspect, but we are continuing to schedule witness questioning to confirm the content reported by former Deputy Minister Yoo regarding the overall progression of the Daejang-dong project."
The court continued, "After observing Lee's attendance on April 7th, we will determine the subsequent procedures for witness questioning." The court also summoned Lee as a witness for the upcoming trials on the 7th and 14th of next month.
According to the Criminal Procedure Act, if a witness does not attend without justifiable reasons, even after fines are imposed, the court can issue a warrant or detain the individual for up to seven days. However, there are predictions that compulsory measures such as a warrant and detention for Lee may be practically difficult since he, as a member of the National Assembly, has parliamentary immunity, and a consent for arrest must first be obtained from the National Assembly.
The court also stated that day, "Because the Constitution stipulates parliamentary immunity for members of the National Assembly, we are continuously contemplating whether compulsory measures against Lee are possible," adding, "Realistically, we must consider whether to present the consent agenda regarding the warrant and whether consent will be granted if the agenda is presented."
Meanwhile, Kim and other private developers of Daejang-dong are facing charges of causing a loss of 489.5 billion won to the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation by colluding with the city of Seongnam during Lee's tenure as mayor. Lee is also undergoing a separate trial regarding related charges. Previously, Yoo and Nam testified as witnesses in Lee's trial.