Seoul: The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is intensifying its pressure on the nation's courts ahead of their initial rulings on cases involving the party's leader. According to Yonhap News Agency, decisions on two charges facing Lee Jae-myung-violating election law and suborning perjury-will be made tomorrow and November 25, respectively. Lee is accused of providing false information to voters during the 2022 presidential election, asserting that he was unfamiliar with Kim Moon-ki, a senior manager at Seongnam Urban Development Corp., linked to the Daejang-dong residential development scandal. Additionally, he claimed coercion by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry to rezone a Baekhyeon-dong site, a claim the ministry denies. The prosecution has sought a two-year prison sentence for Lee regarding the alleged violation of election law. A conviction with a penalty of 1 million won or more would strip Lee of his lawmaker seat and disqualify him from running for any elected office for fiv e years. Furthermore, the Democratic Party would be obligated to return 43.4 billion won in funding received from the National Election Commission. The election law stipulates that the state reimburses all campaign expenses for presidential candidates who secure 15 percent or more of the vote. Lee achieved 47.83 percent. If a candidate gains a different public office, such as Lee winning a parliamentary seat, but it is later invalidated by the judiciary, the party must repay the full campaign expenses. The Democratic Party's financial stability is at risk, as its main office building is reportedly valued at around 34 billion won. Recently, the party held rallies in Seoul demanding a special counsel probe into allegations involving President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee, with another rally planned on November 16 alongside other opposition parties seeking the president's impeachment. The Democratic Party insists its rallies are unrelated to Lee's criminal trials, yet they undeniably showcase the party's political influence to the courts. The party plans a rally near the courthouse tomorrow, coinciding with Lee's ruling, and intends to submit a petition to the courts advocating for his acquittal, allegedly signed by over one million people without identity verification. In a Legislation and Judiciary Committee session reviewing next year's government budget, the party reportedly increased the judiciary's budget by 24.6 billion won, seemingly to appease the judiciary and discourage a harsh judgment against Lee. Conversely, it cut the prosecution's budget by 8 billion won for confidential special investigations and 50.6 billion won for specific tasks, fueling criticism of retaliation against the prosecution. Concerns are mounting that diminished funding for investigations could lead to increased crime. Should Lee and his party be confident in his innocence, the need to influence the courts would be unnecessary. If Lee finds the initial rulings unacceptable, he retains the right to appeal to higher cou rts. In response to the Democratic Party's pressure on judges, the ruling People Power Party petitioned for a live broadcast of Lee's election law charge sentencing session. Although the court declined to allow a broadcast, the proposal highlights the public interest in a trial involving an influential political figure. The judges face the challenge of ruling in cases that could significantly impact Lee's political career and require his party to refund substantial campaign expenses. They must adhere to evidence and legal principles to avoid a politically biased outcome. All eyes remain on the judiciary's forthcoming decisions.