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, a prominent figure in the Democratic Party (DP), is seen as a key presidential contender should President Yoon Suk Yeol face impeachment. However, if Lee's lower court sentence of one year in prison, suspended for two years, is upheld, he will be disqualified from participating in the next presidential election in 2027.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the opposition leader is under scrutiny for allegedly lying during a December 2021 media interview. He claimed he was not acquainted with the late Kim Moon-ki, a former executive of the Seongnam Development Corp. This corporation was involved in a controversial development project in Seongnam during Lee's tenure as the city's mayor. In the final hearing of his appellate trial, prosecutors argued that Lee deserves "a heavy punishment for distorting voters' choices by telling a lie."
The court is expected to deliver its verdict on Lee's case in late March. Upon arriving at the Seoul High Court for the session, Lee expressed confidence to reporters, stating, "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 allegations related to statements made during a parliamentary audit of the Gyeonggi provincial government in October 2021. He is accused of falsely claiming that he was pressured by the land ministry to rezone a former site of the Korea Food Research Institute in Seongnam. This site was later developed into apartment complexes by a private developer, leading to allegations that Lee provided preferential treatment to the company. In November, a lower court found him guilty of making false statements in violation of the Public Official Election Act and sentenced him to a suspended one-year prison term.