Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, attends the fourth hearing of his trial on his election law violation charge held at the Seoul High Court on Feb. 19. (Yonhap)
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, attends the fourth hearing of his trial on his election law violation charge held at the Seoul High Court on Feb. 19. (Yonhap)

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chair of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and the presidential front-runner, will attend the final hearing of an appeal against his conviction for election law violations Wednesday.

Lee’s criminal trials have been regarded as one of the biggest hurdles to him running for president, should Yoon’s impeachment be upheld by the Constitutional Court, which holds its last hearing on the case Tuesday.

The verdict on Lee’s appeal is expected to be made in late March.

That would set a timeline for the Supreme Court to conclude Lee's trial by late June. The Public Official Election Act stipulates the court must rule on appeals in election law violation cases within three months after the previous verdict, although the current trial has already missed that schedule, as the lower court made its ruling on Nov. 15.

If the Supreme Court overturns the verdict, Lee will be cleared of charges.

However, if the Supreme Court upholds the ruling, Lee will lose eligibility to run for any public office for 10 years, barring him from the next presidential race.

If Yoon’s impeachment is confirmed in early March and an early election is held within 60 days of the verdict in May, Lee’s trial ― depending on how long it lasts ― could heavily impact the race.

In the event that the Supreme Court rules to uphold the lower court's ruling after Lee wins the early election, he will be shielded by presidential immunity. The Constitution states that the president "shall not be charged with a criminal offense during his tenure of office, except for insurrection or treason."

The Seoul High Court, which previously claimed it would conduct a swift trial, is scheduled to hold the fifth and sixth ― final ― hearings for Lee’s trial at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, Wednesday.

In mid-January, the court decided to stop assigning new cases to the division that is tasked with handling Lee’s case to expedite his trial without any delays.

On Wednesday, prosecutors and Lee are expected to deliver their final statements.

In November 2024, the Seoul Central District Court handed down a one-year prison term, suspended for two years, to the main opposition leader on charges of making false statements during his campaign for 2022 in its first trial verdict.

Lee responded by appealing the verdict, caliming there were errors in the fact-finding process, misinterpretation of the law and unjust sentencing.


sj_lee@heraldcorp.com