On Monday, main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted of subornation of perjury, with the Seoul Central District Court ruling him not guilty of persuading a former mayoral secretary to provide false testimony in his favor.
Last year, prosecutors charged Lee with attempting to persuade Kim Jin-seong, who was the secretary of ex-Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang, through telephone calls to make false testimony in his favor during an ongoing court trial in December 2018 on an election law violation case. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lee in 2020. Prosecutors believe that the secretary's testimony was a key factor that led to his 2020 acquittal.
The court said that Lee's offer to send pretrial briefs to Kim Jin-seong as part of his request to testify for him in court does not infringe on Lee's right to defend himself.
But the court also ruled that some of Kim Jin-seong's testimony in the previous case was false and handed the former secretary a fine of 5 million won ($3,570).
Lee thanked the court for dismissing the charge and for "finding back the truth and justice" for him.
Monday’s verdict comes 10 days after the same Seoul court sentenced him to a suspended one-year prison term, for lying as a candidate during the previous presidential campaign, in a separate case. The court ruled Lee as guilty of making false statements in violation of the Public Official Election Act and sentenced him to a year in prison, suspended by two years. Both Lee and the prosecution filed appeals. The prosecution had demanded a two-year prison sentence for Lee.
If the court hands down a finalized fine of more than 1 million won in this case, and that ruling is then upheld by the Supreme Court, Lee would be barred from running for public office for the next five years, jeopardizing his presidential bid.
Lee is currently embroiled in multiple court battles, now awaiting verdicts on cases, including his alleged involvement in a North Korean remittance case and a bribery case linked to land development scandals in Seongnam.
With Lee avoiding a major legal risk on Monday, the main opposition party is expected to escalate its challenge against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration while focusing on party unity.
Prior to the afternoon's verdict, Ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said that he would watch Monday’s court rulings alongside the public, adding that he expects the Seoul Central District Court to make fair judgments.
“We are expecting the judiciary to hand down a verdict on charges of subornation of perjury against (Democratic Party) Chair Lee today. Cases involving perjury, subornation of perjury and defamation are top examples of obstruction of justice,” Han said during the party’s Supreme Council meeting in the morning.
