The Seoul Central District Court found him guilty of making false statements related to a major scandal involving a land development project in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province during his tenure as the city's mayor from 2010 to 2018.
The sentence puts the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party at risk of being disqualified from holding public office, dealing a severe blow to his political career including his potential bid for presidency in 2027.
He was convicted for lying during the 2021 presidential campaign, when he was a candidate, as well as for other statements he made during a parliamentary audit. Lee repeatedly claimed that he did not know Kim Moon-ki, an official at Seongnam Development Corporation which was in charge of the city's project. Kim committed suicide in 2021 amid an investigation into the project.
The court ruled that all the statements he made were lies, although part of them cannot be legally construed as a violation of the election law.
Friday's ruling is the first of four charges Lee faces, including allegations of perjury, corruption, and embezzlement.
Lee insists he is innocent of all charges and accuses prosecutors of launching a politically motivated investigation.
Unlike a fine of less than one million won that would allow Lee to retain his parliamentary seat, the suspended prison sentence now casts uncertainty over his political future.
If upheld by the upper courts, he would be stripped of his parliamentary seat and barred from running in the presidential election for the next ten years.
Lee immediately expressed regret and vowed to appeal the ruling.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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