Prosecution to Appeal Lee Jae-myung's Acquittal on Perjury Charges

On November 25, 2024, the Seoul Central District Court acquitted Lee Jae-myung (이재명), the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, of charges related to instructing perjury. In response, the prosecution expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that they find the ruling "difficult to accept" and announced plans to appeal the decision.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office commented, "While the court recognized that Mr. Kim Jin-sung (김진성) committed perjury as a result of Lee's instructions, it concluded that Lee lacked the intent to instruct perjury, leading to his acquittal. This reasoning is hard to comprehend in light of the legal principles and evidence presented."

The court, presided over by Judge Kim Dong-hyun (김동현), ruled that Lee was not guilty of the charges. However, it found Mr. Kim guilty of perjury for certain testimonies and imposed a fine of 5 million won.

The court noted, "At the time of the call between Lee and Mr. Kim, it appears that the specific details of what testimony would be given had not yet been determined. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that Lee was aware that Mr. Kim's testimonies were false. Given the content of their conversation, it is difficult to interpret it as a request for false testimony. Therefore, the evidence presented does not support the assertion that Lee had the intent to instruct Mr. Kim to commit perjury."

Lee was indicted in October of the previous year for allegedly soliciting false testimony from Mr. Kim in connection with a violation of the Public Official Election Act that dates back to 2018.