SEOUL, South Korea, Nov 16, (AP): South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was convicted of violating election law and sentenced to a suspended prison term Friday by a court that ruled he made false statements while denying corruption allegations during a presidential campaign. If it stands, the ruling could significantly shake up the country’s politics by potentially unseating Lee as a lawmaker and denying him a shot at running for president in the next election.

But Lee, who faces three other trials over corruption and other criminal charges, is expected to challenge any guilty verdict and it remains unclear whether the Supreme Court will decide on any of the cases before the presidential vote in March 2027. Lee told reporters that he plans to appeal Friday’s verdict by the Seoul Central District Court, which gave him a sentence of one year in prison, suspended for two years.

Under South Korean law, Lee would lose his legislative seat and be barred from running in elections for five years if he receives either a penalty exceeding a 1 million won ($715) fine for election law violations or any prison sentence for other crimes. "There are still two more courts left in the real world, and the courts of public opinion and history are eternal,” he said, apparently referring to plans to take the case to the Supreme Court. "This is a conclusion that’s impossible to accept.” Lee, a firebrand liberal who narrowly lost the 2022 election to conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, has steadfastly denied wrongdoing.

Choo Kyung-ho, the floor leader of Yoon’s People Power Party, said the verdict showed that "justice was alive” and called for the judiciary to conclude the case swiftly. The ruling drew intense media coverage and seemingly thousands of protesters. Surrounded by police lines, Lee’s supporters and critics occupied separate streets near the court, shouting opposing slogans and holding signs that said "Lee Jae-myung is innocent” and "Arrest Lee Jae-myung.” There were no immediate reports of major clashes.