Courts to make key verdicts on main opposition leader, his wife

The political future of Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung is likely to be decided this month, as South Korean courts are expected to deliver several court rulings that could potentially bar the main opposition leader from running for president.

The Seoul Central District Court is set to deliver rulings in two separate cases against Lee on Friday and Nov. 25, marking the first decisions in his four ongoing criminal cases.

On Friday, the Seoul court is expected to deliver a verdict on charges that Lee allegedly violated the Public Official Election Act by lying during the campaign for the 2022 presidential election about a high-profile land development project pursued by the Seongnam city government, south of Seoul, during his term as mayor.

Prosecutors, in September, demanded a two-year prison sentence for Lee on charges of making false statements during the previous presidential election. The sentence, if finalized, would bar him from running in the next presidential election scheduled for 2027, in which observers say Lee is seeking to run as a candidate. Lee would be fined 1 million-won ($715) fine or more and be required to give up his seat at the National Assembly as well, if found guilty.

The Seoul court is set to rule Nov. 25 on charges of subornation of perjury against the main opposition party leader.

Last year, prosecutors charged Lee with suborning -- or attempting to persuade -- a secretary of ex-Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang through telephone calls to make false testimony in his favor during an ongoing court trial in December 2018 on a separate election law violation case at the time. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lee in 2020. Prosecutors believe that the secretary's testimony was a key factor that led to his acquittal.

If the court hands down a finalized fine of more than 1 million won in this case, and that ruling is then upheld by the Supreme Court, Lee would be barred from running for public office for the next five years.

Lee and the Democratic Party of Korea have repeatedly denied the accusations, claiming that prosecutors fabricated the charges against the main opposition party leader in both cases.

Meanwhile, the Suwon District Court on Nov. 14 is expected to deliver its verdict in the case that Lee’s wife Kim Hye-kyung allegedly misused a government credit card for personal use including purchasing sandwiches and fruit along with spending 104,000 won dining in restaurants, during Lee’s time as Gyeonggi governor from 2018 to 2021.

Prosecutors, in July, demanded a 3 million won fine for Kim, for breaching the Public Official Election Act, claiming that she dined out with three spouses of current and former lawmakers at the time to help her husband become the Democratic Party’s candidate for the 2022 presidential election. Kim has denied the allegations.