First trial verdict for Lee Jae-myung's witness tampering charge set for tomorrow

[Anchor]

The first trial verdict for Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has been indicted on charges of allegedly instigating perjury, will be announced tomorrow (Nov.25).

This marks the second critical juncture for Lee's so-called judicial risk.

First, we have Yang Min-cheol with the report.

[Report]

The second first trial verdict hearing for Lee Jae-myung, who is facing five trials, will be held tomorrow.

This is the trial regarding the so-called 'instigation of perjury' charges.

Lee is accused of having made statements during his candidacy for the Gyeonggi-do provincial governor in 2018, claiming he was falsely accused in a past 'impersonation of a prosecutor' incident, and is alleged to have requested false testimony from witness Kim Jin-sung during this trial.

[Call between Lee Jae-myung and Kim Jin-sung/Dec. 24, 2018: "This is not to reconstruct the incident at that time. (I came out first for the election. Internally, I don't know who was connected to KBS, but) you can just say you heard that."]

The prosecution sought a three-year prison sentence during the closing arguments in September, stating, "He instigated perjury to conceal lies," but Lee contends that he only asked for the truth to be told and never requested perjury.

The verdict hearing tomorrow will also not allow live broadcasting, similar to the first trial verdict for the violation of the Public Official Election Act on the 15th, making real-time viewing impossible.

In the verdict on the 15th, Lee was disqualified from running for office due to the violation of the Public Official Election Act, and now, just ten days later, he faces another test of judicial risk.

There are plans for gatherings around the courthouse tomorrow, with one group claiming Lee's innocence and another demanding severe punishment for him.

The court is restricting access to the courthouse for private vehicles and is enhancing security measures in preparation for any potential incidents.

This is KBS News, Yang Min-cheol.