[Breaking] Prosecution Seeks 2-Year Prison Sentence for Lee Jae-myung on Election Law Violation Charges

On the 2021 presidential election period, the prosecution demanded a two-year prison sentence for Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was indicted for making false statements.

On the 20th, at the sentencing hearing of Lee's violation of the Public Official Election Act held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 34 (Chief Judge Han Seong-jin), the prosecution requested the court to sentence Lee to two years in prison.

The prosecution stated that there are only aggravating factors and no mitigating factors for Lee, and according to the Supreme Court sentencing guidelines, the case should result in a sentence of 8 months to 3 years in prison or a fine of 5 million to 15 million won.

Lee is accused of publicly making false statements during a broadcast interview on December 22, 2021, when he was the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, regarding the late Kim Moon-gi, the head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, claiming that he was a subordinate employee and that he did not know him during his tenure as mayor.

Additionally, Lee is accused of making false statements on October 20, 2021, at the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's audit of Gyeonggi Province, related to allegations of preferential treatment in the land use change of the Baekhyeon-dong Korea Food Research Institute site, claiming that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which requested the land use change, threatened to take action for dereliction of duty, forcing him to comply.

The prosecution's sentencing demand came two years after Lee was indicted.