On Wednesday, South Korea’s opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, stated that an appeals court had cleared him in a case of election violations, enabling him to potentially become a future presidential candidate. Following a ruling from the Seoul High Court, Lee declared that the decision proved that the case against him was politically motivated and that he had been completely vindicated.

In 2022, the Seoul Central District Court had previously found Lee guilty of making false claims about a land development project while serving as mayor of Seongnam. He was handed a one-year prison term, suspended for two years, which would have endangered his chances of running in the next presidential election if upheld. The appeals court, however, dismissed the earlier ruling, declaring Lee not guilty of making a false claim during a parliamentary audit. Lee expressed gratitude for the court’s decision, criticizing the government for wasting public resources on his prosecution.

Lee, 61, stood in the 2022 presidential election against Yoon Suk-yeol and lost by the narrowest margin in history. The opposition leader has been followed closely in the media and is seen as a potential replacement for Yoon, should the latter’s impeachment be upheld. South Korea would hold a snap presidential election within 60 days if the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol is upheld by the country’s Constitutional Court.

Lee survived a knife attack last year and has since undergone surgery. He is currently facing several other trials, including charges of bribery and other crimes linked to a $1-billion property development scandal. The election violation case has been closely followed due to Lee’s status as the frontrunner to replace Yoon.

Original article: https://www.dw.com/en/south-korean-opposition-leader-lee-jae-myung-cleared-of-election-violations/c-71247059

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/south-korea-court-clears-opposition-leader/a-72040043?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf