Seoul: Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded a two-year prison term for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of lying as a presidential candidate during the 2022 election. Lee, who is part of the Democratic Party (DP), is regarded as the leading candidate should President Yoon Suk Yeol face impeachment. However, if his lower court sentence of one year in prison, suspended for two years, is confirmed, Lee would be barred from running in the 2027 presidential election.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee is accused of lying during a December 2021 media interview, claiming he did not know the late Kim Moon-ki, a former executive of Seongnam Development Corp. This corporation was involved in a controversial development project in Seongnam, south of Seoul, during Lee's tenure as the city's mayor. During the final hearing of his appellate trial, the prosecution argued that Lee deserves "a heavy punishment for distorting voters' choices by telling a lie."
The court announced plans to deliver a verdict on March 26. Upon arriving at the Seoul High Court, Lee expressed confidence in the judicial process, stating to reporters, "The court will make the right judgment ... In the ways of the world, everything is bound to flow in the direction of common sense and principles."
Lee also faces accusations of making false statements during an October 2021 parliamentary audit of the Gyeonggi provincial government. He allegedly claimed he faced pressure from the land ministry to rezone the former site of the Korea Food Research Institute in Seongnam. This site was later transformed into apartment complexes by a private developer, leading to allegations that Lee provided preferential treatment to the company. In November, a lower court found Lee guilty of making false statements, violating the Public Official Election Act, and sentenced him to a suspended one-year prison term.