SEOUL, South Korea — In a significant legal development, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung of South Korea has been found guilty of breaching election laws and has received a suspended prison sentence from the Seoul Central District Court. The ruling centered around Lee’s false declarations in response to corruption charges made during his presidential campaign.
If upheld, this decision has the potential to greatly alter the political landscape in South Korea, possibly removing Lee from his legislative post and hindering his prospects for future presidential bids. Currently, Lee is involved in three additional trials linked to corruption and other criminal allegations. He intends to appeal the verdict, leaving uncertainty about whether the Supreme Court will reach a conclusion on any of these matters before the presidential elections slated for March 2027.
Lee announced to journalists his intentions to challenge the ruling, which sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years. As per South Korean legislation, a prison sentence or a fine exceeding 1 million won (approximately $750) for election violations would result in losing his legislative seat for five years, barring him from running for office during that period. “There are still two more courts left in the real world, and the courts of public opinion and history are eternal,” he stated, suggesting his plans to escalate the issue to the Supreme Court. “This is a conclusion that’s impossible to accept.”
Lee, who is a prominent figure in the liberal camp and narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to the conservative incumbent, Yoon Suk Yeol, has consistently maintained his innocence regarding the charges against him.
The court’s decision has drawn considerable attention from the media and created a substantial public response, with a significant number of protesters rallying near the courthouse. Supporters and opponents of Lee found themselves segregated on separate streets, voicing their sentiments with slogans such as “Lee Jae-myung is innocent” and “Arrest Lee Jae-myung.” Fortunately, no major confrontations were reported amidst the demonstrations.
Lee faced indictment in 2022 for allegedly making false statements regarding two contentious development initiatives during his tenure as the mayor of Seongnam from 2010 to 2018, while he was vying for the presidency with the Democratic Party.
One allegation pertains to suspicions that Lee utilized his influence in 2015 to alter the land-use designation of a site originally designated as green space, thereby enabling a housing project to proceed due to private developer lobbying. Lee claimed during a parliamentary session in October 2021 that the change was made not out of choice but rather coercion from the national government concerning the Baekhyeon-dong area. Prosecutors, however, argued that there was no supporting evidence for his assertion, a position echoed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Moreover, they referenced a television interview from December 2021 where Lee stated he was unaware of a senior official at Seongnam’s urban development agency during his mayorship. This comment took place following the officer’s mysterious death amid investigations into a property development in Daejang-dong, which had generated substantial profits for a private asset management firm and raised questions about potential collusion among city officials, politicians, and business entities.
Prosecutors contended that Lee’s statements were misleading efforts to sever ties with the controversial developments to enhance his electoral chances, and they sought an actual two-year prison sentence for him.
The court ultimately convicted Lee on charges related to the Baekhyeon-dong project, concluding that evidence showed the city’s decision to shift the land-use classification was not motivated by directives from the land ministry.