Opposition leader's wife fined for election law violations

A regional court on Thursday fined the wife of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung 1.5 million won ($1,070) for providing free meals during her husband's run in the party primary to select the candidate for the 2022 presidential election.

Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Democratic Party of Korea Chair Lee, was indicted after providing meals worth 104,000 won to the wives of three former and current party lawmakers and three of her aides at a restaurant in Seoul in August 2021, shortly after Lee declared his bid for the party election.

A corporate card from the Gyeonggi Province government, of which Lee was governor at the time, was allegedly used for the payment.

The Suwon District Court found Kim guilty of having her secretary, surnamed Bae, pay for the meals with her "permission" and imposed the fine.

"(The crime) appears to pose risks to the fairness and transparency of elections," the court said, chiding Kim for "denying the crime and passing the responsibility onto Bae."

The prosecution had demanded a 3 million won fine for Kim.

Kim's lawyer said she would appeal the ruling, calling it a "guilty conviction based on assumption."

If finalized, Kim would be restricted from participating in election campaigns for five years under the Public Official Election Act, which bans such activities for people who have been fined 1 million won or more. This would restrict her campaigning for her husband should he run in the next presidential election.