Seoul, March 26 (Yonhap) — Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, has been acquitted in the second trial of a case involving alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act. The ruling was delivered by the appellate court on March 26.
The Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 6-2 overturned the initial ruling of a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.
The charges against Lee stemmed from allegations that he disseminated false information during his tenure as Governor of Gyeonggi Province. Specifically, during a parliamentary audit of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on October 20, 2021, he was accused of making false statements regarding land in Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam City, related to the Korea Food Research Institute, which was suspected of illegal land use changes.
Furthermore, he was accused of lying during a media interview in December of the same year, while running as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, claiming he did not know a deceased subordinate, identified as Mr. Kim, who was implicated in the Daejang-dong development scandal during his time as Mayor of Seongnam City.
The appellate court determined that Lee’s statements did not constitute the dissemination of false information.
This ruling marks a significant turn in the legal proceedings against Lee Jae-myung and is likely to have considerable implications for the political landscape in South Korea.
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