Korean opposition leader acquitted of election law violation by appeal court

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted of election law violations by an appeal court on Wednesday. The Seoul High Court overturned a lower court’s ruling, stating that Lee, chief of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, made no false statements during the last presidential campaign.

Lee was initially handed a one-year prison term, suspended for two years, by the Seoul Central District Court last November on charges of disseminating false information during the 2022 presidential election. Prosecutors had sought a two-year jail sentence for Lee in both the first trial and the appeal trial.