[News Today] LEE JAE-MYUNG REQUESTS RECUSAL

[LEAD]
Leader of the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung has submitted a judge recusal request in his trial over 'illegal North Korea remittances.' He cites concerns about fairness, which has led prosecutors to warn of significant trial delays.

[REPORT]
The case of illegal remittance to North Korea involves SBW Group sending funds to the North on behalf of Gyeonggi-do Province, including costs for North Korea's smart farm project in Hwanghae-do Province.

Then-Gyeonggi-do Governor Lee Jae-myung is charged with having the conglomerate pay five million dollars for the smart farm project as well as three million dollars to finance his own visits to North Korea.

The prosecution concluded that Lee conspired with former Gyeonggi-do Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young to have ex-SBW Group chairman Kim Sung-tae wire money to North Korea on behalf of the Gyeonggi-do government. Lee was indicted in June on charges including third-party bribery.

There have been three trial preparation dates so far, but Lee suddenly filed a recusal request last Friday.

It was just one day before the National Assembly voted on President Yoon's impeachment motion.

Lee Jae-myung's representatives took issue with the fact that the same bench that oversees his case had already convicted the ex-vice governor on the same charge, sentencing him to 9 years and 6 months in prison.

Lee's lawyers claimed that his conviction was publicly predicted, making it hard to expect fair trial.

Lee Jae-myung / Chair, Democratic Party
(Concerned trial could be delayed after you had filed for recusal.) ….

The request can be denied if its intention is believed to be trial delay, but the court accepted the request, saying that it doesn't seem to aim for dismissal or trial delay.

So, Lee's trial has been suspended.

The recusal request has been transferred to another bench within the Suwon District Court.

If the case proceeds from the first trial to the Supreme Court, the trial on the illegal remittance case could be delayed for quite some time.

Kim Han-gyu / Former chair, Seoul Bar Assn.
It's likely the recusal request will reach the Supreme Court, so the trial may face a long suspension.

The prosecution blasted Lee's recusal request, saying it is causing an unprecedented trial delay.