What's the breakthrough for Lee Jae-myung ahead of "Nov of Destiny"?

[Anchor]
Politicians are paying attention to the so-called "judicial risk" of Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung, who is set to be sentenced in the first trial next month.

Amid speculation that Lee's political fate will be determined by the outcome of the trial, the Democratic Party of Korea also seems to be responding in all directions.

Reporter Kim Kyung-soo reports.

[Reporter]
On the 15th and 25th of next month, representative Lee Jae-myung will be sentenced to the first trial of violation of the Public Official Election Act and perjury teacher case.

Prosecutors asked the court for two years in prison, three years in prison and a maximum sentence, respectively.

Representative Lee and the Democratic Party are pleading not guilty, calling it an unreasonable prosecution by the prosecution, but

[Jeon Hyun-hee / Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea (2nd): I'm sure that the political prosecution's method of manipulating evidence against Representative Lee Jae-myung will never work for the judiciary.]

There are still concerns that there will be a lot of repercussions if convicted.

As the Supreme Court sentence remains, it will not immediately put a brake on the presidential election, but we cannot rule out the possibility that the moderate public opinion will deteriorate with the ruling party's offensive.

[Choo Kyung-ho / Floor Leader of People's Power (Last month 30th): Representative Lee Jae-myung's alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act and perjury teacher, the essence of which is a series of lies and lies. In short, I'm blocking a lie.]

The Democratic Party has launched a counteroffensive against the prosecution.

It also pushed for a "crime of distortion of the law" legislation that punishes prosecutors when they manipulate evidence or distort the application of the law, and held parliamentary hearings to support the so-called "witness conciliation" allegations.

In addition, he is actively engaged in public opinion campaigns with the theory of judgment of the regime, and in particular, an organization dedicated to dealing with suspicions related to First Lady Kim Gun-hee has been launched.

[Hwang Jung-ah / Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea (4th): Kim Gun-hee's Family Corruption and State Administration Investigation Headquarters, so the Supreme Council voted for the 'Kim Gun-hee Judgment Headquarters' in short.]

Representative Lee's direct appearance in the election campaign to select the head of the local government on the 16th is not irrelevant to this background.

[Lee Jae-myung / Minjoo Party leader (3rd): If this general election was the first government trial, this by-election should be the second government trial, do you agree?]
At the same time, representatives of
are speeding up their actions, which are effectively interpreted as 'preparing for power'.

A representative example is the creation of a committee to expand talent and a separate strategic organization to deal with the "growth discourse."

[Lee Jae-myung / Democratic Party leader (2nd): Many factors are needed to take power, but the first one will be the person. / I think we need to recruit, cultivate, and discover talents with a long-term perspective.

It is also interpreted as a presidential candidate with no other alternative and an intention to dilute negative views caused by judicial risks by highlighting his ability to take power.

For the time being, the Democratic Party is expected to focus its power on its ability as an authoritative party and highlighting the current administration's situation.

However, apart from this, there are many predictions that Lee Jae-myung's political life will be at a crossroads depending on how public opinion responds to the results of the first trial.

I'm Kim Kyungsoo of YTN.

Reporter: Lee Sang-eun, Lee Seung-chang,
Video editing: Yang Young-woon