Assemblyman Lee Chae-ik Confirmed with a 700,000 Won Fine for Election Law Violation... Retains Assembly Seat

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Lee Chae-ik, a member of the People Power Party who was indicted for gathering people and appealing for support during the party primary ahead of the April 15 general election last year, avoided a sentence that would invalidate his election at the Supreme Court.

On the 8th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Min Yusook) upheld the original sentence of a 700,000 KRW fine against Lee, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act.

Lee was brought to trial for gathering people at the election office and appealing for support during the party primary process for the April 15 general election in March last year. According to the Public Official Election Act, during party primaries, election campaigning is only allowed through activities such as installing election office signs, providing business cards, sending promotional materials, and holding debates.

Additionally, Lee is also accused of issuing a false press release denying that he made a remark comparing his opponent to the North Korean Kim Jong-un family during the meeting.

The first trial court stated, "Since Lee has experience running in multiple elections, it is presumed he was aware of the restrictions on primary campaign methods," but sentenced him to a 700,000 KRW fine, considering the violation minor. Regarding the charge of false information disclosure, the court acquitted him, stating it was made in the context of responding or explaining during the dispute.

The second trial court upheld the first trial's judgment. Following the prosecution's amendment of the indictment, the court overturned the guilty part of the first trial but imposed the same fine of 700,000 KRW.

On this day, the Supreme Court also agreed with the lower courts' decisions. The court ruled, "There is no error in the lower court's judgment that violates the rules of logic and experience or exceeds the limits of free evaluation of evidence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.