Lee Jae-myung's first trial of violation of the election law on "Day of Destiny" was sentenced today.Court at this time

[Anchor]
The first trial of Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, in violation of the Public Official Election Act will take place at 2:30 p.m. today.

The court is on edge ahead of the first of four trials Lee is undergoing.

For more information, I'll connect with a reporter and find out. Reporter Kwon Junsu!

[Reporter]
Yes, it's in the Seoul Central District Court.

[Anchor]
Sentencing this afternoon, what's the current mood in the court?

[Reporter]
Yes, supporters and conservative group officials are already gathering around the court.

You could also see YouTubers delivering the court situation with their cameras on.

Not only the court here, but also near the Central District Prosecutors' Office right next door.

A little later, from 11 o'clock, a group supporting representative Lee has announced a large-scale rally, setting up tents near the prosecution office to prepare.

Conservative groups that have reported the rally since 11:30 are also preparing for the rally in front of the court.

The court, which has increased security, is letting visitors in after identification from the main gate of the building.

A thick line of order was installed around the court building.

The police task force also appears to be on guard around the court.

[Anchor]
Today's first trial sentence comes more than two years after CEO Lee was indicted.

Let's also summarize the charges that CEO Lee is receiving.

[Reporter]
Representative Lee's alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act is a charge of "publicizing false information."

Two of the remarks Lee made on TV during his last presidential campaign are problematic.

First of all, CEO Lee said in a broadcast interview that he did not know the late Kim Moon-ki, who was a key practitioner in the Daejang-dong development project, when he was mayor of Seongnam.

Regarding the suspicion of preferential treatment to change the use of the Baekhyun-dong site during the parliamentary audit,
There is also a part of the statement to the effect that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport threatened it and forced it to be repurposed.

The prosecution said that CEO Lee was on a close relationship, such as going on an overseas business trip with Kim,

We believe that he lied to draw a line with the suspicion of corruption in the development of Daejang-dong, but
The representative of
is in the position that lower-level practitioners cannot be known.Prosecutors also believe that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport only requested cooperation in the remarks of


The representative is explaining that the words are twisted because the answer is compressed.

The prosecution has demanded two years in prison, the maximum sentence under the Supreme Court sentencing standards, saying severe punishment is necessary.

[Anchor]
What will be the issue of court judgment?

[Reporter]
First of all, we are questioning whether the remarks in question can be viewed as 'facts'.

It should be clear from the evidence that CEO Lee actually knew the late Kim Moon-ki.

It is also necessary to objectively prove that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport requested cooperation, not intimidation.

On the other hand, representative Lee says that words such as "don't know" and "threat" are only subjective expressions and cannot be treated as facts.

Whether the remarks were intentional or spontaneous is also an issue.

Representative Lee argues that remarks made in broadcast interviews with virtually the same character as the debate cannot be punished.

On the other hand, the prosecution believes that Lee intentionally repeated his remarks to get a favorable outcome for the election.

[Anchor]
Some say that the sentence is the biggest crisis in Lee's judicial risk.How will the outcome of the

sentence affect you?

[Reporter]
If Lee is fined more than 1 million won for violating the Public Official Election Act, he will lose his parliamentary seat and be deprived of his right to run for the next five years.

The Democratic Party must also return 43.4 billion won in campaign funds that were preserved in the last presidential election.

If the representative Lee is sentenced to less than 1 million won, he will be less burdened,
If he is convicted of
innocence, the prosecution is expected to face a backlash of 'excessive prosecution'.

The legal profession predicts that it will not take long for the final trial as the issue is not complicated.

In principle, the case of the Public Official Election Act is likely to be confirmed before the next presidential election in March 2027, as the first trial must be concluded within six months after the prosecution and the second and third trials within three months after the entire trial is sentenced.

So far, I'm YTN Kwon Junsu at the Seoul Central District Court.