South Korean opposition leader gets a suspended jail term for violating election law

A South Korean court has handed opposition leader Lee Jae-myung a suspended prison sentence after finding him guilty of violating election law. The court said Friday that he made false statements while denying corruption allegations during his 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 vows to appeal, and it remains unclear whether the Supreme Court would decide on any of the cases before the presidential vote in 2027. Lee narrowly lost the 2022 election to conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol.