Lee Jae-myung, another judicial risk test...First trial sentencing of perjury teacher

At 2 p.m., the perjury teacher was sentenced to the first trial...Court 'tense'
Large gatherings around the courthouse begin...Thousands reported to the rally
Increased security, such as identification checks...the closure of the west entrance

[Anchor]
The first trial of Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, will take place at 2 p.m. today.

Earlier, the prosecution asked for three years in prison.

As representative Lee was already convicted in the first trial of violating the Public Official Election Act 10 days ago, the weight of judicial risks is expected to change depending on the outcome of the sentence.

Let's find out how the sentence will proceed today by connecting the YTN legal team reporter.

Reporter Kwon Junsu and Kim Dahyun, please come out.

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
Yes, we are at the Seoul Central District Court.

The court building, seen behind me, is crowded with reporters and audience members ahead of Representative Lee Jae-myung's first trial.

With reporter Kim Da-hyun here, I'll share the news.

Reporter Kim, supporters and opponents also held a rally during Lee's election law trial 10 days ago.

The rally is going on again today, right?

[Reporter Kim Dahyun]
Today, the representative support group reported a rally of 2,000 people and a conservative group of 1,500 people.

Right now, a support group rally is underway.

Organizations are playing videos related to representative Lee, chanting slogans such as "Lee Jae-myung is not guilty" and condemning the judiciary.

We are also conducting a signature campaign to urge the independent counsel of Kim Gun-hee.

A conservative group rally was also scheduled from 12 p.m., but the police decided to separate the two sides and deploy task forces to maintain order.

At the entrance of the court building, ID cards are checked for security, and the west office where Lee's representative trial is located has closed the entrance and can only enter the east office.

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
The court also strengthened security management in case of safety accidents, right?

[Reporter Kim Dahyun]
Correct.

First, the court decided to deploy additional security management personnel and strengthen searches.

The court gates are partially closed and ordinary vehicles except essential business vehicles are not allowed to enter the building, forcing the trial parties to move faster than usual.

The first sentence of perjury teachers will be held in a 100-seat heavy court, as in the election law.

This is because it is more convenient to manage the flow of movement than the existing small court in which the trial was conducted, and in the case of Lee's representative trial, only those with the right to attend the court are allowed to enter the court.

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
The sentence will be handed out in about two hours.

Let's summarize how the sentence goes today.

[Reporter Kim Dahyun]
Today's perjury teacher case will be sentenced at 2 p.m.

Representative Lee Jae-myung usually appeared at the court about 10 minutes ago.

After representative Lee enters the court, the court will make a judgment on the detailed charges.

At the end of this process, an order reading will be held to sentence, and it is difficult to estimate how long it will take before the order.

It usually takes about an hour.

In some cases, the details are mentioned to refer to the ruling, and some observers say that the representative charge itself will be over in about 30 minutes because it is simple.

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
So let's go back to CEO Lee's charges before the sentence.Allegations of

'perjury teacher'.

In fact, it is simple with the content that "Representative Lee demanded false testimony from witnesses in his trial."

However, how this perjury teacher incident happened is a little complicated, right?

[Reporter Kim Dahyun]
Yes, so I'll organize it again.

In 2002, CEO Lee was fined 1.5 million won for impersonating a prosecutor in collusion with a KBS PD who was covering the suspicion of preferential sale of the late former Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang.

In response, he was put on trial in May 2018 on charges of publicizing false information by saying that he was "falsely accused" in a TV debate for the governor of Gyeonggi Province.

Then, CEO Lee contacted Kim Jin-sung, a former secretary of former Mayor Kim, and asked him to testify to the effect that "KBS and former Mayor Kim have decided to tie up and drive Lee Jae-myung as the main culprit."

The prosecution believes that CEO Lee demanded perjury as if injecting Kim, who said, "I don't remember well."

Let's listen to the recording at that time.

[Lee Jae-myung / Governor of Gyeonggi Province at the time (last December 2018): It would be helpful if you could tell me that this was an incident with a very political background. As it is. (It's been so long that even memories...).)]

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
CEO Lee denies the allegations altogether.

What will be the issue of court judgment?

[Reporter Kim Dahyun]
First of all, we need to check whether CEO Lee taught perjury to Kim.

The prosecution believes that CEO Lee repeatedly injected Kim Jin-sung as if the false claim was true.

On the other hand, CEO Lee refuted how he is a perjury teacher, saying that he has used the expression "as I remember" and "as I am" several times.

Whether it affected the trial is also an important issue.

The court requires heavier punishment if perjury affects the outcome of the trial.

The prosecution believes that Kim's false testimony served as an important basis for Lee's subsequent removal of related charges,
The representative of
confronts that Kim did not give any of the statements he wanted, and that the testimony was not considered an issue of the trial, so the results were not affected.

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
They make conflicting claims with the same data.

Kim Jin-sung, who was handed over to trial as an accomplice in such a fierce battle between the two sides, is admitting the charges?

[Reporter Kim Dahyun]
Yes, Kim admits to the charges, saying he felt pressured by the request of the incumbent governor of Gyeonggi-do Province and perjured.

At the final hearing, Kim pleaded for leniency, saying, "I admit to the crime, give up every day, and reflect on it."

In the legal community, it is observed that it will not be easy for CEO Lee, who was pointed out as asking for perjury in this situation, to avoid punishment.

However, we cannot rule out the possibility that CEO Lee will be acquitted.

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
As you said, Lee may be acquitted, but what about the level of punishment if he is guilty?

[Reporter Kim Dahyun]
The perjury charge is somewhat severely punished as it is a so-called 'crime of deceiving the court'.

According to the Supreme Court's sentencing standards, perjury crimes are recommended to be punished from 6 months to 1 year and 6 months in basic prison, and up to 3 years in case of aggravation.

Among them, it is the discretion of the court to decide whether to sentence a prison sentence or suspend execution or fine.

Earlier, the prosecution presented various data to CEO Lee at the final hearing, saying he needed to be sentenced to "real punishment."

According to a total survey of 195 perjury teachers over the past six years, 35% of prison sentences, 58% of collection, and only 6% of fines.

However, three years in prison is only a prosecution sentence, and we have to wait and see how the actual ruling will come out.

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
Today's sentence will inevitably be an important inflection point for representative Lee's political life.Let's also look at the wavelength of the sentence



[Reporter Kim Dahyun]
If Lee is acquitted in this trial, it could reduce judicial risks and lead to the Democratic Party rallying around Lee.

On the other hand, if representative Lee is confirmed to be sentenced to more than prison in this case, he will lose his parliamentary seat and be deprived of his right to run for five or 10 years after the execution of the sentence.

In other words, it is difficult to run for the next presidential election, which will inevitably be a big blow to the Democratic Party or Chairman Lee Jae-myung.

You can also think of a case where the suspended sentence of imprisonment is confirmed.

In this case, the National Election Commission believes that the right to run for election will be deprived until the end of the probation period.

However, today is the first trial, and no matter what the results come out, there is room for a fight in the second and third trials.

[Reporter Kwon Junsu]
In September last year, the court rejected the representative Lee's arrest warrant, but also said that the allegations of perjury teachers appear to be cleared.

However, it remains to be seen whether last year's court judgment will lead to a conviction, as criminal trials require stricter proof.

So far, we have looked at the issues of the perjury teacher case to the political repercussions of the sentence.

We will also closely watch the afternoon trial situation on the spot and deliver it accurately.

So far, the Seoul Central District Court has informed you.