Seoul: Judges nationwide will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the controversy surrounding presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's election law violation case, a judges' association said Friday. The meeting was requested due to the need to discuss and organize their position on suspicions about the courts' political neutrality and the issue of damage to confidence in the judiciary, the association stated.
According to Yonhap News Agency, controversy arose after the Supreme Court made an unusually quick decision last week to send Lee's case back to the Seoul High Court for a retrial. This action was prompted by identified errors in the previous acquittal of Lee, who was charged with making false statements during the 2021 presidential race. The decision has sparked significant debate, with Lee's liberal Democratic Party condemning it as interference in the upcoming June 3 presidential election. A guilty verdict in the retrial could potentially disqualify Lee from participating in the race.
The judges' association noted that the meeting was requested after at least one-fifth of its members consented to it. The association comprises delegates of judges from all levels of courts nationwide, highlighting the widespread concern and interest in the matter across the judicial landscape.