Suwon: An appellate court has sentenced Rep. Lee Sang-sik of the ruling Democratic Party to a fine of 900,000 won (US$659), allowing him to retain his parliamentary seat.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Suwon High Court fined Lee for making false statements ahead of the general elections in April last year, which violated the Public Official Election Act. Under current law, members of the National Assembly lose their seats if a fine of at least 1 million won is finalized for election law violations.
Previously, a lower court had imposed a fine of 3 million won on Lee, which would have resulted in the loss of his parliamentary seat.