[News Today] PARTIES DIFFER ON DP CHAIR RULING

[LEAD]
This weekend marked the Democratic Party's third off-site rally, focusing on influencing public opinion after Chairman Lee Jae-myung's first-trial verdict. The party labeled the decision "judicial murder" and declared a party-level response. In response, the People Power Party accused the DP of rejecting the verdict and strongly vowed to counteract the DP's intimidation of the judiciary.

[REPORT]
The Democratic Party pledged to make party-level responses to the court's decision to sentence its chief Lee Jae-myung to a suspended jail term.

It is because the party must return the campaign expenses worth 43.4 billion won or over 31 million U.S. dollars to the state if the first-trial verdict is upheld at the Supreme Court.

At the same time, the main opposition party stressed that Lee's leadership will stay strong and unshaken, expecting that the ruling will be corrected at the second trial.

Kim Yun-duk/ DP secretary general
I’m confident that it will be a process in which the truth will be revealed eventually. The DP will stay firm, continue to fight.

The DP repeatedly insisted that it was a political ruling delivered by a bench that had blindly accepted the maliciously distorted opinions of the politically motivated prosecutors.

The main opposition criticized the court for selecting and twisting a small number of expressions Lee had made during the presidential election campaign.
It described the verdict as judicial murder that has dealt a serious blow to the political career of the DP chair.

Kim Moon-soo/ Democratic Party
Let's remember that the truth will be revealed when the fog clears up. Justice will prevail.

The People Power Party strongly denounced the DP for vowing to reject the ruling and hold rallies to fight against it out of the National Assembly, calling it an irresponsible behavior that shakes the foundation of the rule of law.

Park Sang-soo/ PPP spokesperson
It‘s equivalent to an open vow to deny the nation's judiciary system, the basis for the rule of law.

The PPP urged the DP to stop the protests threatening the judges.

Kim Yeon-joo/ PPP spokesperson
After showing contempt for judges, the DP lawmaker staged a show, offering to resign. Then, he condemned the judge saying they succumbed to tyrant.

The ruling party launched an offensive regarding another upcoming sentencing court hearing on Lee's perjury subornation charges, saying that the case would have e been hidden permanently if the DP's push to completely strip prosecutors of their investigative rights had succeeded during the previous administration.

PPP chief Han Dong-hoon said that a reasonable ruling will be delivered at the court hearing on November 25, which is about charges of perjury subornation and vowed to strongly respond to the DP's threats against judges.