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Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae / Source: Yonhap News

The Supreme Court's unusually rapid handling of a case involving opposition presidential hopeful Lee Jae-myung has sparked growing tension in political circles as the nation inches closer to the upcoming election.

According to the court on April 23, the full bench (en banc) will hold a continuation hearing on Lee’s case on April 24. The move follows the court's swift decision to reassign the case from a smaller panel to the en banc division just two hours after it was initially distributed on April 22. The full bench immediately held its first hearing the same day—a rare pace for such proceedings.

The central concern is the potential impact of the court’s ruling on the presidential race. As a leading candidate from the progressive camp, Lee’s legal fate could have significant electoral consequences, making the case a high-stakes issue for both major political parties and the electorate.

If the court upholds Lee’s acquittal, the outcome would be clear-cut. His legal troubles would be resolved before the election, allowing him to maintain his eligibility to run. This could energize the progressive bloc, which could frame the result as a resolution of “judicial risk.”

Another possibility is that the court overturns the acquittal and sends the case back to the appellate court for retrial—a scenario known as remand after reversal. While this wouldn’t affect Lee’s eligibility to run, it could raise questions about his candidacy and potentially weaken his political momentum.

A third scenario is a reversal with judgment, in which the Supreme Court both overturns the previous ruling and imposes its own sentence. If the court finds Lee guilty and imposes a fine below 1 million won, he would retain his eligibility to run, though the political damage from a guilty verdict would remain. However, a sentence of 1 million won or more would strip him of his eligibility and end his presidential bid.

If Lee is not elected president, the case would proceed without controversy. However, if he wins the election, questions over presidential immunity could trigger significant legal and political disputes.

The Democratic Party has expressed concern over the fast-moving case. Party spokesperson Hwang Jung-ah stated, “We urge the Supreme Court to conduct a fair trial on candidate Lee’s election law case,” adding, “We hope the appeals court will reach a principled decision to dismiss the case.”