South Korea’s governing and opposition parties clashed during a National Assembly audit over the suspension of President Lee Jae-myung’s criminal trials. The dispute unfolded before the Legislation and Judiciary Committee as lawmakers questioned senior officials from the Seoul High Court and Seoul Central District Court.
Kwak Gyu-taek of the People Power Party argued that the Constitution had not anticipated a defendant being elected president. He accused judges of effectively abandoning their responsibilities and linked the suspension to calls for prosecutors to withdraw the cases. The remarks framed the court decisions as an improper consequence of Lee’s election rather than a necessary constitutional measure.
Lawmakers offer competing constitutional interpretations
Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Han-kyu rejected that argument, saying the responsible courts had correctly halted the proceedings under the Constitution. He urged the judiciary not to be swayed by political claims. Committee chair Seo Young-kyo, also of the Democratic Party, said efforts that continually obstruct the president’s work should be resolved.
Each court panel suspended the proceedings on the basis of a constitutional provision, according to Seoul High Court Chief Judge Kim Dae-woong.
Seoul High Court Chief Judge Kim Dae-woong told lawmakers that each panel handling a case involving Lee had suspended proceedings on the basis of a constitutional provision. He said the courts had not used an unlawful method. His response clarified the judiciary’s stated legal basis but did not amount to a new ruling on the underlying charges or a decision to restart the trials.
The constitutional provision cited in the hearing states that a serving president is not subject to criminal prosecution except for insurrection or treason involving a foreign power. Based on that provision, proceedings in Lee’s election law case before the Seoul High Court and the Daejang-dong case before the Seoul Central District Court have been suspended.
- Forum
- National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee audit
- Courts questioned
- Seoul High Court and Seoul Central District Court
- Proceedings affected
- The election law and Daejang-dong cases involving President Lee
- Current status
- Both sets of proceedings remain suspended
The immediate effect is that the pending cases remain paused while Lee serves as president, leaving the legal and political disagreement unresolved. The next development to watch is whether prosecutors, the courts or lawmakers take a formal step affecting the suspended proceedings. For now, the audit demonstrated the competing interpretations surrounding presidential immunity without producing a new judgment or timetable.