S.Korea’s opposition leader Lee Jae-myung convicted of violating election law

15/11/2024 16:31

        A South Korean court convicted on Friday main opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung for violating the election law, handing him a one-year prison term suspended for two years, a penalty that if upheld could jeopardize his bid to run for president in 2027.
        
        After the hearing, Lee said that he would appeal.
        
        "I will be appealing. Beginning with the basic facts, it is a conclusion that is difficult to accept", he said.
        
        If his appeals fail and the prison sentence becomes final, Lee would be stripped of his parliament seat and his eligibility to run in any elections for the next five years.
        
        Lee, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, who narrowly lost to President Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 election, faces at least four trials after being indicted on several criminal charges including bribery and corruption.
        
        He was found guilty of breaching the election law by making a false claim during a parliamentary audit in 2021 while running as a presidential candidate about a land development project in Seongnam when he served as mayor, the court said.