Prosecutors appeal acquittal of DP leader in subornation case

SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) — Prosecutors have filed an appeal against a ruling that acquitted opposition leader Lee Jae-myung from charges of suborning a former mayoral secretary to make false court testimony in his favor, their office said Friday.

The appeal comes four days after the Seoul Central District Court found Lee, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), not guilty of suborning a secretary to former Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang to give false testimony during a 2019 trial on his alleged election law violations.

The trial centered on charges that Lee, as a candidate for Gyeonggi governor, lied during a TV debate in 2018 about his conviction in the early 2000s, which was for impersonating a prosecutor in collaboration with a KBS TV news producer in order to investigate the mayor over a real estate corruption scandal.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it decided to appeal the lower court ruling to correct “significant errors” in the initial judgment.

The ruling was closely watched as it came only 10 days after the same court sentenced Lee to a suspended one-year prison term for making false statements as a candidate during the 2022 presidential campaign.

If that sentence is upheld, Lee will be stripped of his parliamentary seat and barred from running for public office for 10 years, including the 2027 presidential election.

Lee is also standing trial in three other cases on charges of corruption in connection with development projects in Seongnam, involvement in an illegal cash transfer of US$8 million to North Korea and embezzlement of funds from the Gyeonggi provincial government.