Court prepares for Lee Jae-myung's election law ruling amid broadcast debate

[Anchor]

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, is currently facing four trials on 11 charges.

Among these, the first trial ruling on the violation of the Public Official Election Act will be announced in three days.

The prosecution has demanded a two-year prison sentence for Lee, claiming that his statement during the last presidential election process that he "did not know" Kim Moon-ki, the former head of the Seongnam Development Corporation, who died while under investigation in the Daejang-dong case, and that his comments regarding threats from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport related to the Baekhyeon-dong development were false.

As the date for the first trial ruling approaches, the arguments for guilty and not guilty from both the ruling and opposition parties, as well as the heated debate over whether to broadcast the trial live, are deepening the court's concerns.

The court is particularly considering strengthening the protection of the presiding judge, as thousands are expected to gather for rallies around the courthouse on the day of the ruling.

Reporter Kim Beom-joo has the story.

[Report]

Regarding the live broadcast of the trial, which is being requested by the ruling party and some opposition parties, Representative Lee Jae-myung has been reserved in his comments.

[Lee Jae-myung/Democratic Party Leader: "(What do you think about the live broadcast of the ruling trial?) ......."]

The People Power Party argues that if he is certain of his innocence, there is no reason not to broadcast it live.

[Choo Kyung-ho/People Power Party Floor Leader: "If you are really curious about the trial regarding the individual corruption of the party leader, then it can be watched live with the public."]

The Democratic Party asserts his innocence and states that a live broadcast aimed at humiliating the opposition party leader should not take place.

[Jung Sung-ho/Democratic Party Member/KBS 1 Radio 'Intensive Current Affairs': "I think it is a form of defamation against the defendant or a more significant, a form of insult."]

The presiding judge can decide to broadcast the trial live even without the consent of the defendant, if it is deemed to serve a significant public interest.

In the cases of former President Park Geun-hye and President Lee Myung-bak, the decision to broadcast the ruling live was made three days before the announcement, and today (11.12) is three days before the ruling in Lee's trial, but no decision has been made yet.

However, considering the time needed for the installation of broadcasting equipment, it is expected that the decision on whether to broadcast live will be made by the day before the ruling, which is the day after tomorrow (12.14).

Tension is already palpable around the courthouse.

Rallies supporting and condemning Lee are scheduled to take place on the day of the ruling, with reports indicating that around 4,000 participants are expected.

The Seoul Central District Court has confirmed that it is also considering measures to enhance the protection of the presiding judges, including assigning security personnel during their commutes in case of emergencies.

KBS News, Kim Beom-joo.