Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted on March 26 in an appeals court ruling on election law violations, overturning a lower court’s conviction that had sentenced him to one year in prison with a two-year suspended term.
The ruling is the first appellate decision among five cases Lee is facing. If upheld by the Supreme Court, it would allow him to run in future presidential elections.
The Seoul High Court ruled that prosecutors failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, saying the allegations did not meet the legal threshold for conviction.
Lee, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, had been accused of making false statements during his 2021 presidential campaign. Prosecutors alleged he misrepresented his ties to a late city official linked to a controversial development project and falsely claimed that a land-use change was made under government pressure.
In November 2024, a lower court found him partially guilty and sentenced him to a suspended prison term, which could have led to the loss of his parliamentary seat and barred him from running for office for up to 10 years if upheld by the Supreme Court.
The appellate court, however, overturned the conviction, acquitting him of all charges.
After the verdict, Lee expressed gratitude to the court for what he described as a fair ruling based on “truth and justice.”
“At the same time, I find it absurd that so much energy and national resources had to be spent to reach such an obvious conclusion,” he told reporters.
Lee accused prosecutors and the government of manipulating evidence in an effort to target him. “If those efforts had been directed toward wildfire prevention or improving people’s livelihoods, imagine how much better our country could be,” he said.
He also criticized the prosecution, urging them to reflect on their actions and avoid further “waste of national resources.”
“The truth always prevails,” he said.
Lee declined to comment on how the ruling might impact his potential presidential bid. Instead, he exchanged handshakes with lawmakers waiting for him before leaving the courthouse in a black minivan.
Kwon Young-se, chief of the ruling People Power Party (PPP)’s emergency steering committee, called the verdict “deeply regrettable” and urged the Supreme Court to swiftly review the case under the “6-3-3 principle,” which mandates election law violation trials to be concluded within six months at the first trial and three months each at the appellate and Supreme Court levels.
When asked whether he believed the ruling should be overturned, Kwon said, “Based on what I have seen in the news, I cannot understand the appellate court’s reasoning. I believe the Supreme Court should and will correct this decision.”
