Court sentences South Korean opposition leader to 1 year in jail

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – A court in South Korea on Friday sentenced main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung to one year in prison over “lying”, local media reported.

If the verdict by Seoul Central District Court is upheld by any higher court, the Democratic Party (DP) will lose one seat in the Parliament and Lee will be barred from standing in the next presidential elections.

The court handed Lee a suspended one-year prison term for “lying during the previous presidential campaign when he was a candidate” in December 2021, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

Lee was found guilty under the Public Official Election Act, and his prison term was suspended by two years.

On Jan. 2, there was an assassination attempt on Lee when he was visiting a construction site of an airport in Gadeokdo in the port city of Busan.

Lee-led DP has posed a challenge to President Yoon Suk Yeol-led administration as the opposition party controls the Parliament.

Yoon has been in office since May 2022, and the next presidential polls are slated for 2027.