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Ex-gov't aide asks court to summon president as witness in credit card misuse case

Published: 27 Aug. 2025, 18:03

President Lee Jae Myung listens during a meeting on saving national finances at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug. 13. [NEWS1]

The former chief secretary to then-Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae Myung asked a court on Wednesday to summon the now-president as a witness in the first trial over the alleged misuse of a government-issued credit cards.

At the Suwon District Court on Wednesday, a lawyer for the former aide, identified by the surname Jeong, argued that Lee’s testimony was “essential” after the court separated the trial from the president’s own proceedings. Jeong and a co-defendant, a former provincial official surnamed Bae, are charged with breach of trust.

“Since prosecutors have not conducted any investigation into whether the defendants colluded with, took orders from or reported to President Lee in connection with the alleged misuse of Gyeonggi funds, it is necessary to clarify the facts in court,” the lawyer said.

The prosecution replied that it planned to question the whistle-blower and 22 other witnesses first.

“We did not intend to call President Lee,” a prosecutor said. “But if necessary, the court can decide after hearing other testimonies.”

The court said it will decide at a later date whether to call Lee as a witness. Although the law does not bar testimony by a sitting president, the court faces a delicate decision.

The Suwon District Court in Suwon, Gyeonggi [YONHAP]

Lee served as Gyeonggi governor from July 2018 to October 2021. Prosecutors indicted him in November 2024 without detention over allegations that he spent 106.53 million won ($76,300) of provincial funds for personal items such as fruit, sandwiches and meals. Jeong and Bae were indicted as accomplices.

At a May 27 hearing, Lee denied all charges, saying he never conspired with or directed the defendants.

The trial paused after his presidential victory, while other cases — including his retrial under the Public Official Election Act and the Daejang-dong development scandal — remain pending. Only the case against Jeong and Bae proceeds for now.

The retrial under the Public Official Election Act centers on remarks Lee made during a TV interview in December 2021 while running for president. He said he did not know Kim Moon-ki, chief of the Seongnam Development Corporation’s project development division. Prosecutors say that denial was false and violated election law.

The Daejang-dong development scandal is a corruption case tied to a massive real estate project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. Prosecutors allege that private developers reaped excessive profits through collusion with officials, with some of the gains allegedly linked to political figures close to Lee.

The next hearing on the government-issued credit card case will take place on Oct. 20 at 2 p.m., when the court plans to question whistle-blower Cho Myeong-hyeon.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]