South Korean Opposition Leader Found Guilty of Election Crime

(Bloomberg) -- A South Korean court on Friday convicted the country’s opposition leader of violating election laws, casting a shadow over the political prospects of a man who has been considered a top contender to be the nation’s next president.

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The Seoul Central District Court found Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung guilty of making false claims in 2021 while campaigning for the presidency and handed down a year-long jail term, suspended for two years.

“It’s a conclusion that I cannot accept,” Lee told reporters before leaving the court. He said he will appeal the ruling.

If the ruling is confirmed, Lee will lose his parliamentary seat and won’t be eligible to run in the next presidential race in 2027. Under the country’s law, defendants sentenced to a fine of 1 million won ($716) or more for an election crime can’t run for public office for five years.

The court decision is the first in a series of trial outcomes Lee faces over charges ranging from bribery to breach of duty. Another sentencing hearing is slated for later this month over alleged subornation of perjury.

Lee was the Democratic Party’s nominee for the 2022 presidential election in which he ultimately lost to President Yoon Suk Yeol by a razor-thin margin. Yoon is now facing his own headwinds as his approval rating plumbs record low levels with a few years yet to go in his single, five-year term.

Lee became a top contender to succeed Yoon after his party scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in April, winning enough seats to dictate the course of legislation and pressure the conservative ruling People Power Party. Lee’s party has 170 seats in the 300-seat National Assembly, while Yoon’s party holds 108.

The opposition party leader is considered one of the more polarizing political figures in the country, with a fervent base of supporters on the left and a large block of impassioned opponents in the conservative camp.

His career has been overshadowed by scandals in his personal life and a probe into alleged land speculation in Seongnam, a city where Lee served as mayor. He has denied any wrongdoing and called the legal proceedings against him politically motivated.

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