South Korean opposition leader found guilty of coercing a witness to give false testimony

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted of charges on Monday that he forced a witness to commit perjury, the Seoul Central District Court said in the latest in a series of court cases that could jeopardize his political activities. future.

Lee thanked the court for “bringing back truth and justice” after the ruling, and his supporters cheered.

He was accused of ordering a witness in a 2019 trial over election law violations to give false testimony.

Lee, the Democratic leader, still faces several other lawsuits, including bribery and other charges, mostly related to a $1 billion real estate development scandal.

On November 15, the court found Lee guilty of violating election laws and sentenced him to one year in prison, suspended for two years – a sentence that, if upheld, could jeopardize his bid for the 2027 presidential election. Lee said he would appeal.

Lee was also charged last week with using more than 100 million won ($71,900) of government funds for personal gain while he was governor.

Lee, who narrowly lost to President Yoon Seok-yeol in the 2022 election and is widely expected to run again, said there was no basis for the charges and called the other charges against him “political retaliation.”

Any final prison sentence or fine of 1 million won ($714.13) or more for violating the election law will disqualify him from a seat in parliament and the right to stand in any elections for the next five years.

($1 = 1,400.3100 won)

(Reporting by Hyunsoo Yim and Jack Kim; Editing by Ed Davis)