”Judicial risk” resurfaces for leading candidate in South Korean presidential election - what impact will this have on the election campaign?

On the 1st of this month, the Supreme Court of South Korea released a statement regarding the second-instance ruling that acquitted former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Lee Jae-myung of violating the Public Offices Election Act.
The court found Lee guilty and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court. Lee is the party's official candidate for the presidential election to be held on June 3. Opinion polls show that he is the clear leader in the polls as the person most suitable to become the next president.
Depending on the sentence decided by the high court, Lee may be suspended from elections and will not be able to run for office. However, it is unlikely that the ruling will be finalized before the presidential election on June 3, so it is not expected to prevent him from running.
However, the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh reported, "The legal risk of Lee, who has already decided to run in the presidential election, has been highlighted once again."
Lee has been under fire from former presidential candidate Lee Jong Un in connection with the urban development he promoted while he was mayor of Seongnam, a suburb of Seoul.
In 2021, he was charged with violating the Public Offices Election Act for making false statements, and was sentenced to one year in prison and two years of probation in the first trial in November last year. However, both Lee's side and the prosecution have expressed their dissatisfaction with the sentence.
He appealed, and the Seoul High Court overturned the verdict and acquitted him in March of this year. After the prosecution appealed, the Supreme Court formed an all-encompassing panel to hear the case and began the hearing.
The court ruled that some of the statements made in the letter amounted to "publication of false facts." It overturned the ruling of the second instance and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court for further review. Lee is the Democratic Party's official candidate for the presidential election to be held on June 3.
According to the survey results, he is the person most likely to be the next president. The results of the latest public opinion survey jointly conducted by four South Korean polling companies and released on the 1st of this month also showed that 40% of respondents were satisfied with the position.
He came in first with 2%, far ahead of Prime Minister Han Deok-soo in second place (13%) and others. How much impact will the Supreme Court's overturning of his acquittal have on Lee's election campaign?
South Korean law stipulates that the decision of the advanced court is binding on the decision of lower courts. Therefore, the high court is expected to sentence Lee. Depending on the sentence decided by the high court, his right to run for office may be suspended.
However, it is unlikely that the sentence will be finalized before the presidential election on June 3, and it is not expected to affect Lee's candidacy. However, the news agency Yonhap News reported that "since the Supreme Court has ruled him guilty, Lee will not be able to take any action."
"It is expected to be a blow to the government," he said. The resurrection of the "judicial risk" surrounding Lee could lead to a departure from the moderate voters. Regarding the Supreme Court's decision, Lee told reporters on the 1st, "My
"This ruling is completely different from what I had in mind," he said, adding, "In the end, politics is run by the people. We should follow the will of the people." The Democratic Party of Korea strongly criticized the Supreme Court.
"The Supreme Court's ruling is a clear political criticism and a hasty trial. We strongly condemn the Supreme Court's unjust interference in the presidential election," spokesman Seok said at a press conference.
Meanwhile, Kwon Young-se, head of emergency response for the ruling People Power Party, said on the 1st, "The unreasonable excuse given in the second trial is
"The Supreme Court's decision to retract the remarks that caused a breakthrough and distorted voters' judgment is an extremely common-sense decision," he said. "Now the ball is back on the Democratic Party of Korea and candidate Lee Jae-myung.
"Elections must be conducted on the basis of trust. The Supreme Court ruled that he distorted the public's judgment by publishing false facts. This in itself means that he has already lost his eligibility as a presidential candidate," the Democratic Party of Korea said.
"It is time for politics to respond. Despite such a harsh ruling, they are still not recommending (Lee) as a presidential candidate," Kwon said.
"If they insist on doing so, that in itself is a serious insult to the people. It is common sense for candidates to voluntarily withdraw," he said. Meanwhile, the aforementioned chief spokesman for the Democratic Party of Korea said, "There is a possibility that the official candidate will be replaced.
When asked by a reporter whether he had any sexual relations, he clearly denied it, saying, "No."