SEOUL: A South Korean appeals court reversed on Wednesday (Mar 26) a lower court’s ruling and found main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung not guilty of violating the election law, removing a barrier that could have blocked him from running for president.
Following the ruling, Lee said the decision by the Seoul High Court completely vindicated him and proved the case was politically motivated.
“It is truly outrageous that all this energy and national resources were spent for what is an obvious outcome,” he said.
Lee was handed a one-year prison term suspended for two years by the Seoul Central District Court last year, a penalty that, if it had been upheld, would have jeopardised his bid to run in the next presidential election.
The appeals court reversed the earlier ruling that had found Lee guilty of making a false claim during a parliamentary audit in 2021 while running as a presidential candidate about a land development project in Seongnam where he served as mayor.
The court cases have shone a spotlight on Lee since opinion polls show he is the frontrunner to replace President Yoon Suk Yeol if the embattled leader’s impeachment is upheld.
South Korea will hold a snap election within 60 days if the Constitutional Court upholds the impeachment of Yoon over his short-lived declaration of martial law in December.
The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party is regarded as by far the top contender for the next presidential election but faces legal challenges.
