Suwon: The fourth preparatory hearing for President Lee Jae Myung's trial on charges of misusing public funds will be held as planned Tuesday, the district court said. The Suwon District Court confirmed that the hearing will take place at 4:30 p.m., regardless of the bench's decision on proceeding with the main trial.
According to Yonhap News Agency, there was speculation that the court might postpone the session since the Constitution exempts a sitting president from criminal indictment except in cases of treason or insurrection. Lee was elected president last month. However, the court clarified that the Criminal Procedure Code distinguishes preparatory proceedings from the main trial, indicating that suspending the main trial does not require halting the preparatory process.
Lee was indicted in November for allegedly embezzling 106.5 million won (US$77,800) from the Gyeonggi provincial government during his tenure as governor from 2018 to 2021. The funds were reportedly used to pay for food and other goods. Two of Lee's other trials-one concerning charges of election law violations and another related to a significant development project corruption case-were suspended last month following his presidential election.
A separate trial involving an alleged illegal remittance to North Korea is still pending the start of preparatory proceedings.