Assemblyman Yongho Lee, accused of election campaign obstruction, acquitted by Supreme Court final ruling

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Independent lawmaker Lee Yong-ho, who was indicted for obstructing the election campaign of a rival candidate during last year's general election, has been finally acquitted by the Supreme Court.

On the 19th, the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Kim Seon-su) upheld the lower court's ruling that acquitted Lee, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act, during the appeal hearing.

Lee was indicted for obstructing a joint campaign rally held by rival candidate Lee Kang-rae, a Democratic Party preliminary candidate, and Lee Nak-yeon, then the Democratic Party's standing election committee chairman, at the Namwon Chunhyanggol Public Market on March 29 last year, ahead of the general election. The prosecution judged that the event held at the market was an election campaign rather than party activities.

However, both the first and second trial courts acquitted him. The first trial court ruled that "the market passage is a place anyone can pass through, and it is difficult to see the defendant's actions as obstructing the election campaign," and the second trial court also stated, "Since it occurred before the start of the election, it is difficult to consider it as the Democratic Party's election campaign," adding, "It is difficult to see that the defendant had the intent to obstruct the election campaign, so the original ruling of acquittal is appropriate."

The Supreme Court's judgment on the day was the same. The court stated, "There is no error in the legal principles regarding the freedom of election stipulated in the Public Official Election Act and the power related to the crime of obstruction of business," and "The charges of obstructing the election campaign and the press conference business are acquitted."

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