Lee Jae-myung, South Korean opposition leader, sentenced for violation of electoral law

The court reported that Lee is guilty of making false statements and that this is considered a violation of the Public Officials Election Law. For this reason, he was sentenced to one year in prison suspended for two years. The ruling, if ratified, would strip him of his parliamentary seat and prohibit him from running as a candidate in the next presidential elections in 2027.

The opposition leader is accused of lying during a media interview that took place in December 2021. At that time, he claimed that he did not know the late Kim Moon-ki, a former executive at Seongnam Development Corp., who was behind a construction project. Corruption-plagued real estate development in Seongnam, south of Seoul, when Lee was the city’s mayor.

The South Korean politician is also accused of lying during a parliamentary hearing of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in October 2021, where he said he was under pressure from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to rezone the former Research Institute site. South Korean food store, in Seongnam. The site was later converted into an apartment complex by a private developer and allegations were raised that Lee rezoned the land to give the company preferential treatment.

The court explained that both statements were lies, but ruled that Lee was legally guilty only of the latter statement, not the first.

According to the court, if false statements are made to voters during an election, public opinion may be distorted and damaged. In relation to this factor, the authorities noted that Lee’s statements were far-reaching as they were broadcast by the media.

Furthermore, they added that his guilt and crime are considerably serious and that freedom of expression during an election must be recognized, but the distortion of public opinion through the collection of incorrect information must also be taken into account, as a result of the declaration of false testimony.

Lee was considered one of the leading candidates for the upcoming presidential election, having lost to President Yoon Suk Yeol, by a margin of 0.73 percentage points, in 2022.

Under the Public Officials Election Law, the court only needed to sentence Lee to a fine of 1 million won (US$710) or more to strip him of his parliamentary seat and ban him from running for public office for the next five years. years, including the 2027 presidential election.

If this Friday’s ruling is upheld, the DP will also have to return the 43.4 billion won ($31 million) it received from the electoral control body to cover its expenses from the last presidential election.

Lee vowed to appeal the ruling, saying it’s a conclusion that is simply difficult to accept, starting with the basic facts.

Prosecutors had asked for a two-year prison sentence for Lee. The verdict was the first of four sentences against the opposition leader, as he is currently undergoing three other trials on charges of bribing a former mayoral secretary to give false court testimony in his favor, corruption in relation with the Seongnam development project and involvement in an illegal transfer of $8 million in cash to North Korea.