“Either halt both Yoon’s and Lee’s trials” ... Yoo Seung-min criticizes election-law cases: People Power Party’s 39.7 billion won vs. Democratic Party’s 43.4 billion won

[Financial News]  Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min raised concerns about fairness in the trials of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and President Lee Jae-myung for violating the Public Official Election Act.
On the 11th, Yoo wrote on Facebook, “If former President Yoon Suk Yeol is finally found guilty in his election-law trial, the People Power Party will have to return 39.7 billion won. But in President Lee Jae-myung’s case, where the Supreme Court’s reversal and remand effectively confirmed his guilt, the trial has been suspended and the Democratic Party is not returning 43.4 billion won,” he said.
He continued, “The level scales held by the goddess of justice symbolize balance and fairness. If both cases involve the same election-law violation, but the winning side gets away with it while only the losing side is dealt with according to the law, then the law is neither fair nor equitable,” he criticized.
The 39.7 billion won and 43.4 billion won Yoo mentioned are the respective amounts of campaign expenses reimbursed to the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea for the 2022 20th presidential election.
Former President Yoon was previously sentenced at trial to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, and his appeal is now underway.  On the 13th, a panel of the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 2-1 (High Court Judges Baek Seung-yeop, Seung-tae Hwang and Kim Yeong-hyeon) will hold the final hearing in former President Yoon’s appeal on the charges. If a sentence of a fine of at least 1 million won is finalized, the People Power Party will have to return to the National Election Commission approximately 39.7 billion won in campaign expenses reimbursed for the 20th presidential election.
President Lee was indicted on charges of announcing false information during the 2022 presidential election. The appeals court acquitted him, but the Supreme Court overturned that ruling and remanded the case to the Seoul High Court for reconsideration on the basis that he was guilty. The retrial following the remand has been suspended since he took office as president. If a sentence invalidating President Lee’s election is finalized, the Democratic Party of Korea will also have to return approximately 43.4 billion won in reimbursed campaign expenses.
Yoo called on the Supreme Court to “issue a ruling on this matter that the public can accept,” adding, “Guilt or innocence should be judged strictly according to the law, but either both trials should be brought to an end or both should be suspended.”
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter