Supreme Court Upholds 'Nullification of Election' Verdict for Damyang County Governor Lee Byungno

Fine of 5 Million Won for Appointing Lawyers on Behalf of Campaign Workers
Vice-Governor Jeong Gwangseon to Serve as Acting Governor... By-election Scheduled for April 2

Byungno Lee, Damyang County Governor.

Lee Byungno, the governor of Damyang County in Jeonnam, who was indicted on charges of appointing lawyers on behalf of his campaign workers, has received a final ruling of invalidation of election from the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s second division (presiding judge: Kwon Youngjun) dismissed the appeal on the 13th in the final trial for Lee Byungno, the governor of Damyang County, and eight other defendants indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act.

As a result, Governor Lee, who was sentenced to a fine of 5 million won in the appellate court, has had his invalidation of election confirmed.

Governor Lee was indicted for appointing lawyers on behalf of eight accomplices who were investigated together for election law violations and providing them with legal services. He was sentenced to a fine of 5 million won, which leads to invalidation of election, in both the first and second trials.

It was found that after campaign workers were investigated for making donations to voters in the constituency to help Governor Lee's election, his side appointed lawyers on their behalf.

The eight campaign workers who received legal services were each sentenced to fines ranging from 1 million to 3 million won in both the first and second trials.

Governor Lee denied the charges, stating, "I only introduced or recommended lawyers and had no intention of paying their legal fees," but both the first and second trial courts found him guilty, stating, "Governor Lee provided legal services to campaign workers, which constitutes providing benefits."

With Governor Lee losing his position due to invalidation of election, Damyang County will hold a by-election in the first half of this year to elect a new governor.

However, if the Constitutional Court rules in favor of the ongoing presidential impeachment trial before March 12, an early presidential election and the by-elections for the first half of the year will have to be held together, which may delay the election schedule.

Until a new governor is elected through the by-election, Vice-Governor Jeong Gwangseon will serve as acting governor.

Meanwhile, if an elected public official is convicted of violating the Public Official Election Act and receives a confirmed sentence of a fine of 1 million won or more, their election is invalidated.

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